


How it came to all this mess

by Moonlightflower



Series: Flames of the heart [1]
Category: Cars (Movies), Planes (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Building Friendship, Falling In Love, Fix-It, Fluff, How Blade experienced the movie, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Maru being awesome, Near Death Experiences, Pre-Slash, Slight Insecurities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-04 19:05:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 50,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12777519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonlightflower/pseuds/Moonlightflower
Summary: When Blade accepts a new trainee into his life, he's prepared for a lot, but not for what is going to come. How Mayday could possibly talk so high of someone with such little talent or even interest, he doesn't understand. And on top of that, Cad is out to make his life horrible. And just when he thinks it couldn't get any worse, feelings are starting to form. Feelings that he neither knows how to deal with nor wants to have in the first place. And that's not even the worst to come.Or:This technically is the movie written out of Blade's perspective with his thoughts and feelings and a few scenes from inbetween.





	1. A SEAT

**Author's Note:**

> So, hi.  
> This is the first fanfic that I'm uploading here, so I'm still getting used to the tags and stuff. If there is anything that you think I should put in the tags as well, please tell me, I'm happy with feedback. Also, I have this story written out already and will upload on a regular basis. This is likely to become a series, where I continue their story after the events of the movie, but I'm still working on that. I'd be really happy if you guys left some feedback, even if it's just kudos or a small comment. I'd like to know what you think of the story and whether you like it.  
> Anyway, have fun with how Blade's and Dusty's story began :)
> 
> Disclaimer:  
> I don't own the original storyline and none of the characters are mine. They belong to Wald Disney Pictures. The scenes that I added are 100% of my own making though.

It was a quiet day at Piston Peak. The sun was shining and the air was hot, the winds were steady and it seemed to be one of the rare uneventful days that happened during fire season. With no emergency in sight, the Piston Peak Air Attack was on downtime and everyone was just relaxing and having fun for once. The Smokejumpers had managed to talk Maru into racing with them, surprisingly finding themselves with an even match, Dipper was sunbathing and Windlifter and Cabbie were out for a flight that was NOT a patrol. Blade was up in his hangar, reorganizing and cleaning it up, something he didn't have time to do very often during fire season. Then again, there was hardly enough time to make a big mess either and the only reason Blade was cleaning at all was, that he simply hadn’t had any better ideas what to do with his free time. Currently, he was trying to move a shelf with his hoist, not really succeeding, when he suddenly heard the static noise that a radio made when someone was trying to radio. _Weird... Is Cad that bored that he has to come back to harass us?_ Sighing in annoyance, he gave up on the shelf and turned to answer the radio, mentally preparing himself for whatever insult was to come.

"Piston Peak Air Attack, this is Blade Ranger speaking." _What do you want Cad?_

"Blade, is that really you? Boy, you sound different. Have you been growing old without telling me?"

_Wait, that’s not... Maday?! Why in the seven skies..._

To say he was surprised to hear Mayday answer was the understatement of the century. Out of all people that could possibly have radioed, the old fire truck was the last person Blade would ever have expected. Even if Nicks mother had radioed, he wouldn’t have been as surprised, which was rather stupid considering that he hadn’t talked to her longer than he even knew Mayday, which was very long.

"Just kidding. So, how have you been holding up?"

_Typical Mayday... No contact whatsoever for more than two decades and now you radio as if those two decades never happened..._ He involuntarily had to smile at the thought. _You haven’t changed a bit._

"I'm alive and uninjured, so is my team and at the moment it is rather peaceful."

From the other end, laughter could be heard and Blade’s smile only grew. There was a reason why he liked that fire truck so much. No matter how sad someone was feeling, Mayday could get anyone to laugh and, if only for a short time, make them forget their worries. That, and the circumstances how they’d gotten to know each other.

"What about you Maday? Not that it isn't nice talking to you again, but you haven't radioed in years. Did something happen?"

_Do I have to rescue you this time?_ The other end stayed silent for a few seconds, confirming Blade’s suspicion as to why the other radioed. _Oh dear._ The fact that Mayday wasn’t joking around meant that whatever happened was dead serious, a fact that made him feel uneasy, a slight tightening of his tanks. _Not good at all..._

 "Yeah, it did. A lot has happened in the past few days."

Blade knew from the statistics that every chief got at the end of a year, that there weren't many emergencies in Propwash Junction, so having Mayday say something about ’a lot’ meant that something must have gone terribly wrong.

"There has been a fire and-"

Mayday hesitated again, causing Blade’s concern to grow. _Spill it old man, how bad?_

"Let's just say I had some problems putting it out. Our water tower had to be 'sacrificed' in the process and as you know, that's not exactly how you are supposed to put a fire out..."

Blade quietly listened to his old friend, having a hunch where this was going. _Oh Mayday... Let me guess, you probably got Ryker for the investigation._ This could only mean trouble. Sounding rather embarrassed and quite unhappy Mayday continued and for a moment, Blade considered finding the TMST agent and giving him a few new dents for what he said.

"Well, and then the TMST showed up and said that I was equipment from last century, not at all prepared for an emergency and then they shut Propwash Junction down. They said that, unless I get refurbished and acquire a second firefighter, they will not allow anyone to use the airport. And the corn festival is coming up, people are depending on that."

True, Mayday was old, even from last century, but he still could do his job and while Blade understood that Ryker was only doing his job, there were about a million ways to break the news a bit nicer than technically saying that he should go and die. Still, getting angry about something he couldn’t change anyway wasn’t going to do them any good. He should rather think about a solution, Mayday wouldn’t have radioed if he hadn’t thought that Blade could provide one.

"And I suppose you want me to send you a second firefighter?"

He sighed quietly. _You know I can’t do that..._

"Mayday, as much as I want to help, it's fire season. I can't spare anybody right now, we’re already short staffed." _I'm sorry Mayday._ Blade knew that he probably had been the fire trucks last hope. He hated that he had to deny it to him, but it was inevitable. _There's just nothing I can do._

"I know, I know, and I would never ask you to do that. But I was going to ask if maybe you would be willing to train a SEAT."

_A SEAT?_ The question took him by surprise. He hadn't had any trainees in quite a while, in almost a decade to be precise, but he also knew that that was the only solution they had. No chief in his right mind would lend a teammate during fire season, so training himself a new teammate really was the only way. If it meant that he could help Mayday, then he would accept. _Besides, it can never hurt to have an extra pair of wings, especially in fire season, can it?_

"Does he have any experience?"

"No, not in firefighting. He used to be a crop duster though. Nowadays he's more of a racer and I'm telling you, the Kid has a fire in him..." Mayday almost sounded like a father when talking about his son and Blade could tell just how proud Mayday was of this plane. A pride, that Blade knew, was not easily earned.

"Sounds like he has courage." _That is always a good trait for a firefighter._

"Oh yeah. He’s one of the bravest people I know. And one of the kindest souls there is."

Blade had to smile at that. From what Mayday was saying, this plane had to have a strong spirit. “I owe you Mayday, big time, so I don’t see why not. If it helps then send him over and I'll train him. From what you've said you'll have him back and certified in no time."

He could practically see the huge smile on Maydays face as the fire truck replied. "Thanks Blade."

"No problem. Besides, if someone wants to be a firefighter, who am I to stop them?"

He could hear Maydays relieved sigh which only stressed just how important this really was to him. "Well, he'll be on his way first thing in the morning."

"Okay Mayday, we'll make sure to give him a warm welcome."

"Thanks a lot Blade, I don’t know what I would have done without you. I have to go now. It was nice talking to you again. Have a nice day and stay safe."

"You too, Maday."

With that, the radioended. _Well, that ended pretty quick. Only Mayday would end a conversation this serious so abruptly._ Half amused Blade stood in front of the radio for a few more seconds before returning to his shelf. _A SEAT..._ He was almost excited for him to come. The way Mayday described him, it had to be an extraordinary plane. Before he could dwell on his thoughts any longer his hangar doors suddenly got pushed open, revealing Maru who apparently had enough racing for one day.

"Who was that you were talking to?"

They didn't get many personal radios so Blade understood his curiosity. Usually, the only people that radioed were Cad, his subordinates or someone from another fire department and those usually got directed to Patch or Maru who then got the person that the radio was meant for. It was easier that way since the rest of the team wasn’t exactly guaranteed to be in their hangars or even at the base when the radio came, so a private radio, especially one for him, was just baffling.

"Mayday, an old friend of mine."

"What did he want?"

By now the rest of the base was listening too, all wondering who that mystery person was that would be close enough to Blade to make a personal radio.

"He's sending over a SEAT to train. They need another firefighter."

Within seconds he found himself surrounded by excited Smokejumpers and Dipper and bombarded with questions about Mayday, the SEAT, if they were lovers, “No!“, and many more of that kind. _Just great. Squishing me won't bring you any answers you know..._ He was about to ask Maru to sedate them before he would be nothing more than a metalcake but before it came to that, Windlifter and Cabbie came back from their flight and to his rescue, managing to calm them down. Blade patiently waited for all of them to settle before finishing his announcement.

"Listen guys, starting tomorrow we will have a SEAT trainee. He will stay with us until he is certified. He doesn't have much experience apart from crop dusting and apparently, he likes to race. And before you all bombard me with questions again, that's all I know. Now get back to work, I'm sure you all have stuff to do."

_And if not, I’m sure that Maru would appreciate some help with cleaning the oil cans._ Knowing that they wouldn't get anything else out of their chief and not daring to ignore his orders, the little crowd slowly dispersed, still chattering about the new information. The Smokejumpers started another racing game, Dipper joining them, while Windlifter went to attend his weight lifting and Cabbie just sat in the shade, dozing off. Blade watched his team for a short while before deciding to go out on a patrol. _This is going to be interesting._


	2. First Impressions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now we're getting to the stuff that actually happened in the movie. Enjoy Blade's side of things :)

The next morning came a lot quicker than Blade had hoped for. Despite what he had said to Mayday the other day, taking on a trainee in the middle of fire season was a risk. Then again he trusted Maydays judgment. He wouldn't send that plane if he wasn't absolutely sure that he could do it. To do what they did it took a special kind of plane after all. He also couldn't help but feel a bit excited no matter how much he tried to ignore it. The tense feeling just wouldn't go away.

Giving up on trying Blade exited his hangar and made his way to Maru to get his morning fuel. After the Smokejumpers had stolen half of their fuel reserves and used it to get Dipper drunk, which resolved in her believing that she was a superhero who had to save the world from the evil oil cans, nothing that any of them wanted to repeat anytime soon, Maru had declared himself the official fuel keeper, threatening to put whoever tried to steal it in a shape bad enough to be in his garage for at least a week. Whoever wanted fuel had to report to him from that day on and since no one ever wanted to be dragged into a fight with the retardant tanks ever again, they all had agreed without hesitation.

It was still pretty early, the sun just rising, and Blade had to stop and admire the scenery. No matter how often he saw it, he always found it beautiful to watch. _At dawn the park just seems so peaceful and full of life, the wildlife slowly awakening, the sky colored in the most beautiful shades of orange, pink and blue and the sun reflecting on the waterfalls_... He had to smile when he pictured the Falls sparkling in the first sunlight. Piston Peak was one of a kind and he understood why so many people traveled for hours or even days to come and see it. It simply was amazing. That's part of the reason why he came and stayed here in the first place. He wanted to keep this wonderful place safe.

"Hey Blade, are you awake or do I have to spray you with cold water again?"

_Chrysler, please don't!_ Blade automatically winced at that memory, knowing that Maru was dead serious. After Blade lost Nick, he used to lose himself in his thoughts, one often being more depressing than the other. Splashing him with icy cold water, back then, had seemed to be the only way Maru could think of to snap him out of it.

"Don't worry Maru. I'm as awake as I'll ever be, no need for a shower. I was just admiring the scenery."

When he saw Maru lift an eyebrow at that Blade sighed. He knew he didn't come off as the most romantic person or someone who would admire watching nature's little wonders, as he liked to call them, but Maru of all people should know him better than that. After all, back when Blade first came to Piston Peak, Maru had assigned himself the task of watching over him, being his guardian, at least in some way. He hadn't given up until Blade talked to him, told him about himself, his past, his fears, feelings, and everything that happened. He hadn't given up on him when most of the others did, had tried to help him instead. Without Maru, Blade wasn't sure if he would ever have been able to deal with his grief and leave the past behind. Maru knew him pretty damn well, even though he liked to pretend otherwise, especially since Blade became chief and therefore his superior. Still, Blade knew that Maru only wanted to help and if he needed it, would always have an open door for him.

Maru interrupted his train of thought once again by rather loudly placing a can of oil in front of him and then rolling back to his garage, muttering something about an over romantic ice block. _Oh Maru..._ Had it been any other of his team than Maru saying that, Blade would probably have grounded them for a week, but for Maru calling people names that, out of context, others might have found insulting, was just his way of showing that he cared.

Still smiling and slowly sipping his oil, Blade made his way to the runway, watching the Smokejumpers excitedly crowding over a piece of paper that looked suspiciously like the plan for a new racing course. He decided to let them have their fun. As long as they were there when needed and no one got hurt, which hardly ever happened, it was good for them to engulf in a hobby. Firefighting wasn't exactly a job with a fixed schedule, so keeping up a hobby was not as easy as it was for others and it always made him happy to see his team smile.

"Hey Blade", Dynamite called out. "Are we going to throw a party for the new guy?"

_And where did you get that idea?_ He simply shook his head at that and when he saw the Smokejumpers disappointed expression he added: "He's coming here to train and get certified, not to be on vacation and this is the Air Force, not a night club." Dynamite just nodded, at first looking a bit disappointed but then slowly smiling again as she went back to the others to work on the new racing course. _You're going to throw it anyway, aren't you?_

Blade was just finishing his can of oil when he suddenly noticed the dark clouds, heading towards them. In the distance, he could hear the thunder and when he really concentrated he could see the thin white lines of electricity that were lightning. The wind was currently working against them, blowing the storm right towards the base. It wouldn't be long until it hit them. _I should probably warn the others_. While he had no doubt that Windlifter already knew about it and the chances of Cabbie taking off without noticing were rather small, he didn't want the Smokejumpers to head out and then get hit by the storm by surprise. Not that he didn’t trust them to notice the storm themselves, but better safe than sorry. He was not in the mood for a rescue mission.

"Guys, listen. In case you haven't already noticed, a storm is headed our way. Stay at base until it passes. I don't want to see anyone out there, understood? If you're bored or don't have anything else to occupy yourself with, you can help me prepare the spare hangar for our guest."

The others were quick to respond and decline the 'offer', some more politely than others. _Who would have thought?_ Blade could still hear Avalanches "NO THANK YOU!" ringing in his audios. He might as well have shouted it from across the woods, Blade would probably have heard him just as fine. Shaking his head to get rid of the ringing he rolled over to the spare hangar. It was rarely used and when he opened the door he was greeted by a cloud of dust. _Oh Joy. Just how I wanted to spend my morning._ Resigning himself to his fate of cleaning he grabbed a hose and started to spray the floor. Behind him, he could hear the nearing thunder and the first raindrops hitting the roof.

By the time the storm passed it was almost noon. Blade had finished cleaning the hangar, turning it into a somewhat comfortable space to live. It still was no luxury compartment, but the SEAT wouldn't be here on vacation either. The thunder could still be heard, but the storm was far enough away that it was safe to fly. _Time to go out on patrol_. _With thunder comes lightning, and with lightning comes fire, to put it in Windlifters words._ Despite the storm having brought some rain, it hadn't been much and humidity was still low. Chances were pretty high that the storm had started a wildfire or two. For him, that meant scouting time.

"Patch, I'm gonna go out scouting. Tell the others to be ready, chances are good that I'll need them."

"Copy that" Came the immediate response from the tower.

"Maru!"

He didn't have to say anything else, Maru was out of his garage and at the retardant tanks faster than Blade could blink. "One load of retardant coming right up." He patiently waited for Maru to give him the all clear and then took off. He wasn't one to haste things unnecessarily, but the sooner a fire was detected, the sooner it could be attended and the less damage there would be afterward.

As he made his way to Augerin Canyon he remembered, that he had forgotten to tell the others to put on their best behavior, in case the SEAT arrived while he was gone. It wasn't like his team had no manners, they just tended to get a bit crazy from time to time, especially when Blade wasn't there to scold them. He didn't mind, after all, he loved his team just the way it was, every single one of them, but when it came to first impressions they might not make the best ones. _Why do I even care? If the SEAT thinks that our team is crazy then that is his problem, not ours._ _So why does it bother me this much?_ Why did he get so worried about something of such little importance? He hadn't even met the guy, didn't even know his name. And yet for some reason he wanted him to like them.

As he passed the Piston Peak he could see the Fusel Lodge. A lot of planes, cars and helicopters were headed towards it. Never before had he seen so many campers in the park at the same time. A small part of him was happy to see so many people enjoying the park, but a much larger part was not at all happy with seeing Cad succeed at full length. In addition to that, there was the danger, that came with having this many campers around. People would get lost in the woods, endangering both themselves and the wildlife, there would be some that had no respect for the beauty of nature what so ever and therefore would end up causing trouble and of course there was the never getting old classic of unattended campfires.

In the distance, not too far away from the base, he could see smoke. _Speak of the devil._ He sighed and radioed Patch.

"Patch, come in. We got a wildfire due to an unattended campfire about 2 miles east from base."

"Copy that Blade, I'll send the others."

By then he had reached the fire. Knowing that it would take his team a few minutes to arrive, he went closer to the fire to see if there were any possible shifts in the conditions that would make it more dangerous than it currently was and found none. Seeing the fire from up close, it only took him a split second until he had a plan on how to get this one out. _Let’s go._ Turning 90 degrees, he made his way through the smoke to reach the other side and then went straight into a loop to turn around. Concentrating on the flames he opened his tanks and started to create a line to ensure that the fire wouldn't spread any further. By the time he finished that, the rest of the team arrived. For Blade that was his signal to retract to the sidelines and start giving orders.

"Alright Muddroppers, watch your altitude. Too low and you'll spread the efforts." Not that they didn't know that, but every fire had different conditions and it was better to remind them than have them waste retardant.

"Dipper, straight up for a drop. Beat the head of the fire."

"Copy that, I'm away." With that, she went ahead to start her parallel attack which would hopefully cut the fire off right in its tracks.

"Windlifter, you're clear to the loop"

"Windlifter copies" Windlifter went and started to extinguish the fire from the flanks to the heart in circular motions. Now all that was left was a firebreak to make sure that neither new nor already extinguished parts caught fire.

"Alright Cabbie, let's get some wheels on the ground." He left the coordination of that to his jumping team and slowly flew around the fire to see if their current attack was effective. As soon as he saw the Smokejumpers on the ground he was back to giving orders.

"Dynamite, use that creek debris and natural barrier to create a firebreak"

"Alright", came the immediate response and he knew that he could leave the rest to them.

Suddenly, just as he was about to retract again, he spotted some deer fleeing from the burning trees. He could see that one of the trees was threatening to fall and hit one of them that was rather far behind. Speeding up he released his hoist and caught it by its horns, pulling it out from under the tree just as it crashed, barely escaping the flames. The deer, in complete panic, was struggling and trying to free itself. _Quit it little guy, I’m trying to save you!_ If it went on like that, Blade would drop it. Then, just as the deer was about to fall, Blade finally reached the herd and was able to put it down again. For a moment he thought that he heard someone shout "Awesome", but he knew that his team was too busy to have noticed what just happened so he probably just misheard. Looking down again, he could see that the fire was contained and almost completely extinguished. Quite pleased that his plan had worked so well he was about to head to the lake and refill to help putting out the last bit, when all of the sudden, out of nowhere, an orange and white plane sped right over his nose, wings just millimeters away from touching him. For a second he was paralyzed, only managing to yell a startled "Who's that?!", of course not receiving an answer.

"Get out of this airspace!" This time it was pure rage in his voice and he was sure that the rest of the team heard it too. Damn all those tourists, that was exactly what he meant earlier. _Do you want to get hurt?!_

"I'm so sorry!"

At least the plane had the dignity to apologize. He was about to let it go and tell him to get back to the Lodge, lecturing him wouldn’t have done them any good and would only have cost time, only to see the orange and white plane fly right through the retardant that Dipper had just dropped seconds ago. _Argh..._

"Ooooh, oh-oh." was her response to that.

_Great, just great, that's exactly what I need! Now we have to take him back to base!_ Blade felt his anger rise again at that thought, narrowing his eyes as he watched how the 'intruder' was having problems with turning around. While retardant itself was not dangerous, it could cause some panels to stick together and make it hard to fly for someone who had no experience with it. Since the base was closer than the Lodge they would have to take him with them, for safety reasons.

"Hey you, follow me!"

At least the plane immediately obeyed without contradiction, following him without questioning it. _Wise decision, I would have just left you otherwise._ The others were done with the fire by now and slowly trailing behind as he led the way. He was not in the mood for scolding the plane right now, though he'd still have to do that later, as he remembered that the SEAT would probably be at the base by now.

So much for first impressions, he thought as he landed in front of Marus garage, watching their involuntary guest come to a rather uncontrolled stand on the runway.

"Maru, spray him off please."

His anger long gone and replaced by his 'business attitude', he stood there and watched the Kid shiver under the cold water as Maru began to spray him clean. It probably had only been ten minutes, but for Blade it seemed like an eternity in which he just quietly stood there and watched, not wanting to leave their 'culprit' unattended.

"Ah, that oughta do it. Well, back to work. I gotta mix up a fresh batch of retardant."

Watching Maru roll away, seemingly in a good mood, Blade had to wonder why, for once, their medic didn't seem to be annoyed. _I most certainly am._ Having to deal with an ignorant tourist who had no respect for danger and was stupid enough to fly towards smoke had definitely not been on his to do list for the day, or any day at all. He hadn’t been this frustrated in quite a while. Also, the SEAT had yet to arrive. Part of Blade was relieved that he wasn't there yet but since Mayday had said they should expect him around noon and it was long past that, he started to get worried. Bringing his attention back to their intruder, who looked out of place with his dripping wet wings and his rather helpless look he sighed. Deciding that the plane no longer needed his attention, he could stand there and dry without him watching, he rolled past him and towards the hangars.

"Once you dry out you can wing it on to the Lodge with the rest of the tourists"

_And the sooner that happens, the better._ For him the case was closed, so he stopped dead in his tracks when he received a stuttered answer.

"Ah, um, I'm not a tourist, actually I'm the guy that May-"

Whatever it was that he meant to say, Windlifter cut him right off.

"He's the trainee."

Blade spun around, staring at the orange-white plane, apparently their SEAT, and just couldn't believe it.

"You're the SEAT Mayday radioed about?!"

_This has to be some sort of joke._ There was simply no way that the plane Mayday described so proudly and the reckless plane in front of him could be the same person. _It just can’t be! This was not what he had meant with ’warm welcome’_

"Oh for the love of..."

"Oh come on Blade, he's not just some SEAT, it's Dusty Crophopper!"

Blade just looked at her, angry that she interrupted him, still not happy about the fact that the plane in front of him was, in fact, his SEAT and not understanding how Dipper thought that his name was of any relevance right now.

"The champion air racer!"

The comment was enough to make Blade wanting nothing more than to banish the plane from his base right there and then. He remembered Mayday mentioning that he was into racing, but he hadn't said a word about his trainee being a celebrity. He knew this type far too well. Thought there were the best in the whole wide world, that they could do everything, preferably better than everybody else; thought that they never made any mistakes and most annoyingly, saw their celebrity status as a green card to do whatever they wanted, whether it was allowed or not. And the never ending need to share just how great they were. _Not with me!_

"Champion..."

"Don't be shy, come on, tell him" For some reason Dipper seemed determined to get the racer to let his mask of modesty fall and boast about how great he was. _Could this day get any worse?_

"No big deal..." Yet he continued to play modest.

"He raced all the way around the world!" Was Dipper trying to get him to like the plane with this? If so, she was failing. The Plane in front of them chuckled nervously at Dipper mentioning that, seeming somewhat uncomfortable.

" I-I did. I did do that."

_There, he is just like the others. He might not be as pushy, but in the end, they all just can't help but seek out adoration by telling what 'heroic things' they've done._ As much as he wanted to kick that plane out of base right now, he had made a promise to Mayday, to train and certify this SEAT. Mayday had seemed really desperate and Blade wasn't the kind of guy who broke a promise when not absolutely necessary. For now, he would just need to make it clear to the racer that, no matter how famous he might be out there, he wasn't worth any more than anybody else here, possibly even less since he had no experience whatsoever in fighting fires, and hope that the message would get through. Rolling closer and wearing his I'm-In-Charge-Here-And-You-Don’t-Get-A-Say-In-This expression he narrowed his eyes and asked one simple question, that would hopefully get the message across.

"The world wasn't on fire though, was it?"

There was an awkward pause where the smaller plane just stared at him, not sure whether Blade actually expected him to answer or if it had been a rhetorical question, which it technically had been.

"Was the whole world on fire........ No?"

_Congratulations._ Apparently, his plan had worked. The SEAT looked at him, clearly intimidated and almost scared that he had done something wrong. Humming in contentment he decided that maybe, just maybe, this could work out after all. Then, truly looking at the SEAT in front of him for the first time, he realized, that the way he was currently structured, he would go down crashing on his first mission.

"Maru!"

"What?"

Not really thinking about his phrasing, Blade gave his order; causing the younger plane to let out a startled cry.

"Rip off his landing gear."

"Er, wait what?"

_Karma..._ He almost grinned at the Kid’s terrified expression, especially after seeing Marus devilish grin. To be fair, he probably would have reacted the exact same way back when he was still with CHoPs, but that was in the past. For now, he just hoped that the little fright crushed whatever feeling of superiority there might still have been left in the newest addition to their team. Leaving Maru to his work and grabbing himself a well deserved can of oil, he decided that, given the fact he wanted the racer to see himself as nothing more than the rest of the team, to be fair he would have to treat him the same he treated anyone else in his team as well. This little payback had been justified, but he would need to stay fair, despite him not liking the plane one bit. Equality either worked on both sides, or on none, and none was not an option.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, depending on whether or not people are actually reading this, I'll upload every third day from now on. Don't want the story to be over too soon. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	3. The Falls won't harm you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next one. I think I'll stick with uploading every third day. Hope you enjoy the chapter :)

The rest of the day, Blade had let the SEAT roam around base, giving him a chance to get used to his pontoons, to get to know everyone a bit and get accustomed to Piston Peak Air Attack and its surroundings. At least those were his official reasons. In reality, he just wanted to get the plane out of his face, get some rest and hopefully accomplish to see him as an equal from the next day on. He had to train the Kid after all, and the sooner his training was done and he got certified, the sooner he would be gone again. _Let’s just hope you’re as good as Mayday said you were. The sooner we get this over with, the better._ Why a champion air racer out of all people had decided to become a firefighter in the first place was beyond Blade, but so far he was failing. Seeing him as an equal should be easy, he was a professional, but for some reason, it was a task much easier said than done.

The next morning came fast, faster than Blade had hoped, but at least he had managed to put his prejudice aside and had convinced himself to give the former crop duster a chance. His training would start today and a part of Blade was still excited to see the heroic plane, that Mayday described, in action. They might not have had the best start, but in the end, the planes skill would speak for itself and Blade was actually excited to hear what it would say. It was only a small part, easily overshadowed by his professional attitude, that he was convincing himself he had towards the SEAT, but it was there.

It was early in the morning, as usual, when Blade woke up. He simply was an early bird, nothing anyone did could change that. That didn't mean that there weren't days where he just wanted to go right back to bed and just sleep through the rest of the day, but surprisingly, this day wasn't one of them. He was actually kind of looking forward to having a trainee, being able to show him his perspective, teaching him everything he knew about firefighting, and seeing him become one of their own. Blade just wanted to see those eyes gleam with fiery determination, willing to give it everything he got if it meant being able to help. He wanted to see the special kind of plane that it took to be one of them in this SEAT, and he was going to do his best to make it happen.

Keeping his expression neutral, but smiling inside, Blade made his way to Maru. It would still be some time until the rest of their team woke up, so Blade decided to get some fuel and go out for a little flight. It felt like ages since he had last just taken off and flown, with no plan of where to go, just for the sake of flying. Surprisingly, when he arrived at the garage, he found Maru still asleep, which was very unusual for the medic. Not wanting to disturb him in his well-earned slumber, he quietly made his way to the fuel storage. Being chief came in handy at times like this since it came with having a set of spare keys. Quietly opening the door, Blade grabbed the first can he could grasp and slowly closed it again. After hesitating a moment he decided to leave a note, just in case that anybody needed him while he was out.

-Hey Maru, I'm out flying. In case you need me just radio. Hope you had a sweet dream. Blade-

Smiling he put the note down next to Marus sleeping mat, only to see it fly away due to Maru's breath. Before it could get caught in any winds that might have carried it off to nowhere, Blade managed to capture it between his teeth and gently put it back down. This time he put a screwdriver on it, to make sure it would stay where it was, before rolling backwards, out of the garage, silently closing the door behind him. For his standards, he took his time with his fuel, which, in reality, still didn't take long. As a firefighter, he was used to having to get fuel in his tanks in mere seconds, so the few minutes that he took this time, seemed to him like hours would have seemed to others.

He could feel the slight breeze around him when he started his rotors. Slowly lifting up into the sky, Blade felt the wind increase. Not enough to cause discomfort, but noticeable. He could hear a bird singing somewhere on his left. Apart from a few occasional animals, the park was filled with silence. _When has been the last time that I heard nothing at all?_ Blade didn't even remember. All he knew was, that he was enjoying every second of it. He wasn't one that wanted silence around him all the time, not in a million years, but from time to time it was nice to just relax and sink back into the sweet sound of nothingness. He let his thoughts wander, enjoying to not have the weight of responsibility for ten; no, he had eleven of them now; firefighters on his shoulders for once.

After a while of just drifting with the wind, Blade's thoughts landed on their newest addition again. He still didn't know what to think of him. The racer seemed to be full of contradictions. He was world famous, yet he seemed embarrassed when Dipper had talked about his fame. He didn't seem like those idiots who waxed themselves daily and only worried about their looks and appearances, he didn't seem to really care how he looked, and yet he was beautiful. Mayday had promised a courageous plane, one of the bravest there was, and one of the kindest souls he knew, and Blade wanted to meet him.

Shaking his head to make the somewhat irritating thoughts disappear, Blade suddenly decided that he had had enough of drifting and went into a loop to turn around. His internal chronometer showed that he had been out flying for almost two hours. It was half past eight and the others were probably awake by now. The time had just flown by without him noticing. _Interesting what can happen when you let your guard down and just relax._ He was in no hurry, and what harm could it do if he enjoyed his solitude just a bit longer, before returning to being the chief of a herd of craziness? He wouldn't take too long though, for a part of him couldn't wait to get back into the craziness of his everyday life.

He had been right, by the time he arrived everyone was awake, even their newest addition. There were drinking their morning oil when he landed, chatting with their new team member about what was in store for him. None of them had heard him and so he decided to just listen for a while.

"I'm telling you, whether the training is hard or not depends on whether you have a good trainer."

"And Blade is the best there is, so it should be a piece of cake."

"Especially for you, I mean you're soooo good that even Blade will have to be impressed."

"I don't know guys, they had a rather rough start..."

"Nah, Blade wouldn't hold that against him, he just wanted to see us in action. No harm in that."

 _No, of course there’s no harm in almost getting yourself killed, why should it?_ Blade had about a million reasons on his tongue as to why there was a lot of harm in 'just watching them in action', but he bit them down in the last moment, continuing to listen. The SEAT, who had been quietly listening until now, joined in the conversation.

"I wouldn't hold it against him if he did. Flying out there with you guys was not the smartest idea I've ever had. I had no idea what a real fire would be like and I still had my wingtip tanks. Sure, I was careful, but if I had flown into the fire instead of retardant..."

He left the end of the sentence hanging in the air, causing Blade to shiver. _Better not to think about what could have happened. You are here and you are unharmed, that is all that matters._ Still, Blade felt a warmth rise in his tanks when he thought about what the SEAT just said, that he saw his mistake and saw why Blade had gotten mad at him. Before he had found out that he was their SEAT, when he had first seen him in the fire, he had just been concerned for his safety and the fastest and most effective way to ensure it was to tell him to get the heck out of there. _Wouldn’t have thought you would see it..._ For some reason, unknown to Blade, knowing that the Kid knew all that, made him happy, if only a little bit. Maybe he really had judged him too soon, maybe he was different. Clearing his throat, Blade decided it was time to let them know he was there. When they heard him, all four of them just spun around; Dipper, Dynamite, and Pinecone staring at him with wide eyes, while the SEAT almost tripped over his pontoons with a startled yelp, looking like a child that got caught red-handed with its nose in the screwcookie tin. Shaking his head he motioned for the SEAT to follow him. When nothing happened he turned around again, slightly annoyed.

"Are you here to chat or are you here to train?"

"Train?"

_Oh really..._

"Then stop staring like I'm the eighth world wonder and hurry up!"

With that he started his rotors, not waiting to see if this time, his trainee actually followed. When he heard the plane behind him, Blade knew that he did. He decided that for starters, Augerin Canyon would do. If the Kid really was as good as Mayday, and Dipper, had told him, he shouldn't have any problems with that. Heading towards the Canyon, Blade began his lesson.

"Fighting wildfire means flying low and that's why we have Augerin Canyon, our own little obstacle course."

When he motioned to the Canyon in front of him he felt excitement bottle up in his tanks, replacing his annoyance within seconds.

"All you got to do is stay below the rim and when you reach the bridge, fly under and pull up."

"Flying low, no problem."

"Overconfident, the kind of attitude that can get you killed."

They would need to work on that, but for now, Blade just wanted to see if his overconfidence was justified, or if the Kid just had a big mouth. Flying over him to watch, Blade just couldn't help but be amazed. His turns looked beautiful as he sped around the rock formations effortlessly, or so it seemed. It really was amazing to watch, and all of the sudden Blade understood what Dipper had meant when saying that even he would have to be impressed. _Damn it I AM impressed..._ The Kid was nearing the bridge, and with every meter Blade’s excitement grew.

"Okay, now let's see you make it under that bridge."

Just as he was about to go under the bridge and rise, his trainee suddenly slowed down, the sudden change in his behavior pulling Blade out of his dreamy state and back to reality. _What..._

"Why did you pull power? You got a fire rolling!"

_Everything looked so perfect, so why did you stop?_

"The bridge, it's too close to the Falls."

"No excuses. Had there been a downdraft, you'd be dead!"

That was the truth, but really, Blade was just using those harsh words to hide his somewhat disappointment. The SEAT flew in front of him, unsure of what to do now. Blade sighed, returning to teaching mode. For his first try, the Kid hadn't been that bad, and the Falls could be intimidating if you were not used to them. _Besides, it’s not going to help if I get frustrated, I’m supposed to be the calm one here._

"Don't just hang in the air like that, try again. I promise you that the Falls won't harm you."

The SEAT turned around, still looking unsure and they made their way back to the beginning of the Canyon to start over. Again, he seemed to handle whatever the little obstacle course had in store for him effortlessly. Blade unconsciously flew a bit closer to him once they were nearing the Falls. Again, everything was looking perfect. The speed was right, the obstacles didn't bother him and all that was left to do was to go into the Redline. "Come on..." He didn't even realize that he was almost praying for the champ to make it. Only to be disappointed again.

"What happened?", he asked, keeping up his instructor mask.

His trainee avoided his gaze and stayed quiet. Something about this just wasn't right. _What is it? If you really flew all around the world, you should be used to water. So why?_ But as long as the plane didn’t tell him, he didn’t have much of a choice, so he decided to let it go for now and stick with his first theory, fear of the Falls.

"If the Falls bother you that much we can try and get you accustomed to them."

It was an offer, and Blade really hoped that he the SEAT would accept it, seeing how it would be hard to train and certify him otherwise. The Kid's gaze met his for a second, and Blade almost saw guilt in it. _What are you so afraid of?_

"Don't worry, I'm not judging. I'm offering to help." He just hoped that it would help.

Still hesitant, the plane nodded, still not looking Blade in the eyes. If that helped, Blade wouldn't ask him to do otherwise, but a part of him felt sad that he seemed to be part of the champ’s problem. He brought that upon himself. He knew that, despite what the SEAT had said earlier, he had by far not left what you would call a good first impression, but it still stung to know that it was held against him. The worst part was that he could do nothing about it. He possibly had ruined whatever kind of team member- or even friendship they could have had. Yes, he didn't come off as one to want many friends, but there was still that part of him that desperately wanted the SEAT to like him. He didn't even know why, and that bothered him. So far the SEAT had not given him any reason what so ever to even consider him part of the team, let alone consider him as a possible friend. He had recklessly rushed into a fire, not exactly had the attitude one would expect from someone who wanted to become a firefighter, looking back to the morning he might be wrong about that though, and now he didn't even make it through the first step of training because he was for some reason scared of the waterfalls! No, those were not exactly good reasons to like him, so why, why for Chrysler’s sake did he? _Why is this happening?_

"What do you have in mind?"

His trainee’s late answer to his earlier question left Blade wondering for a second what he was referring to. Then he remembered his offer.

"We could try and get you accustomed to flying close to them in a horizontal before going into the vertical."

The Kid nodded and so Blade led the way. He approached the Falls slowly from the side, flying as close to them as his rotors would let him until he reached the opposite canyon wall. Along the way, he got splashed by water several times. Something that would not have happened if he had done the same in a vertical, leaving him wondering if this exercise would make things even worse. Then his trainee approached the Falls, flying close, just as Blade did. _Please don’t make it even worse..._ Only that he seemed to have forgotten about his wingspan. Within a second, his right wing got caught in the Falls, the masses of water pushing it down.

“AAAH!“

 _NO!_ With a startled yelp the SEAT was going down. Blade just froze. He wanted to scream, to help, but he was paralyzed at the sight that was all too familiar to him. It took him a few seconds, seconds that he didn't have, to pull himself together and release his hoist to catch him. _Please don’t let it be too late..._ His core was beating like it wanted to burst, and it might as well have. _Please!_ The silence was getting unbearable and Blade felt tears gather in his eyes as he was about to throw the hoist and try to save the plane. _Don’t do this to me..._ Then, finally, before he could throw it, the former crop duster had already managed to free himself and, heavily panting, made his way back up to Blade who was still frozen in mid-air, hoist still hanging out, deep in shock. _I almost caused you to crash!_

"Blade?"

The plane's voice, so full of concern, sounded careful and unsure whether talking to him right now was the right decision. _I’m so sorry. I never meant for you to..._ Blade found himself fighting his tears, not wanting to let the plane see just how deeply this almost-crash affected him.

"Are you okay?"

And with that Blade lost control, his emotions got the better of him and before he knew it, he had yelled his answer.

"Am I okay?! You just got yourself this close to a crash and you ask if I'm okay?!"

Even a blind person would have seen that he was hurt and the realization what he had done hit Blade like an icy cold wave, washing the anger away and leaving him with his shock. He hadn't meant to snap at the Kid, immediately regretting it when he saw the SEAT's hurt, almost scared, expression and him flinching away. _I’m sorry..._ He couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.

"I'm sorry Blade, I promise I'll be more careful next time."

He was so close to answering with 'There won't be a next time!', but remembered in the last second that the Kid would completely misunderstand the meaning behind that. The resignation in the SEAT’s voice was already bad. He had caused enough trouble for one day already, so instead of yelling he just nodded and answered in a quieter tone.

"You'd better be. None of my trainees have died so far and you better not be the first."

 _I couldn’t live through that..._ The moment the words left his mouth Blade wanted to slam his head into the canyon wall. Of all the things he could have said he said something insulting. Not that he meant it as an insult, but even to him, the words sounded bad. _What am I doing?_ His trainee just turned around, not answering and flying back towards the other canyon wall. _What are you doing?_ He made it without almost crashing this time. Without looking at Blade he was about to turn and do it again when Blade decided that he just didn't have the nerves to do this right now. He was still partially in shock and not in the condition to concentrate on training someone right now. Every time he looked at the falls, all he could see was the SEAT crashing. _I can’t do this..._

"Leave it", he radioed him. "You've had enough for one day."

For a moment Blade thought that he saw the SEAT's head sink, but then the plane followed him without complaining. They flew back to base in silence, a silence that was only making things worse for Blade. He needed the reassurance right now. Reassurance that nothing happened, that everything was okay, that he wasn’t alone. He hated himself for it, but he craved for something, if only the plane going on and on about what a great racer he was. He didn’t care as long as there was something, but nothing came. _Of course not... It’s not like I gave off the vibe of someone who’d listen._ Before he knew it, a single tear was sliding down his nose, burning its way over the metal, leaving a trace of pain. _Serves me right..._ As soon as they landed, Blade rolled away, not wanting anyone to see the state he was in.

"Go and see Maru to make sure you're okay."

He just didn't have the energy to put up with them right now. He went to the garage, got himself a can of high grade and went to his little cliff. _When someone hides, they often want to be found._ He had no idea where that saying came from, but at the moment, he wanted someone, preferably Maru, to come looking for him, to find him and show him that he was still there and tell him everything would be alright. Of course, no one came. He’d made it clear enough for everyone that the cliff was tabu for them. So he just sat there, tears running down his nose, occasionally taking a sip from his drink and stared into the distance, trying to calm his still racing core, to no avail. He took in a shaking breath and tried not to think about it, but the past just came right back. He remembered the crash as if it had happened only a few days ago. One moment everything had been fine and the next his world had been shattered into pieces. He could still smell the burning metal, could still hear the cries of pain. He thought he had managed to forget, but seeing the SEAT going down, if only for a second and without any injuries, brought it all back. _Damn it! Why did this have to happen? Why?!_ His tears only increased as he was shaken by sobs. He could feel the wind getting stronger and all of the sudden he just could take it anymore. He gulped down the rest of his high grade and turned around, towards his hangar. He could see the sun setting in the distance and for the second time that day, Blade just wondered how time could pass so fast and at the same time feel like an eternity?

Normally he would have stayed and watched the beautiful colors, but today he just wanted to get away. A bit dizzy he continued to slowly roll towards his hangar, opening the door and suddenly feeling incredibly lonely as he was greeted by the empty space. Before shutting the door behind him, he let his gaze roam around the base. He could see the rest of the team near the runway, playing some sort of game. He could hear their laughter and, despite his emotional state, had to smile. _They’re alright._ He closed the door behind him and went straight to his sleeping mat. _Tomorrow everything will be okay again._ If he just believed in that hard enough, it would be the truth. _It has to be._


	4. Apparently he is a total klutz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the next one. If you have any suggestions on how I could improve this story, I'm happy to hear them.   
> Enjoy :)

_Screams. Everywhere around him were screams. Screams of pain, terror, fear. He could hear every single one of them as clearly as if they stood next to him. Windlifter, Cabbie, Dipper, Dynamite, Pinecone, Avalanche, Blackout, and Drip. They were all screaming for help, screaming for him and he wanted to help, he really did, but he couldn’t. He was tied to the ground, being held by an invisible force that seemed to laugh at him ’You’re useless, you’re useless, can’t even save your own friends. And you call yourself a rescue force?’. He wanted to scream, to do something, to help but he couldn’t. He had to watch helplessly as all his friends slowly burned to death. ’Let me go! I have to help them! Please!’ He was desperate, but the voice only chuckled. ’ Even if I did, you wouldn’t be able to save them. You couldn’t even save me after all. Ha ha ha...’_

“NOOOO!“

Panting heavily, he woke from his nightmare. _Just a dream, it was just a dream. It’s alright, everything is alright._ But no matter how hard he tried to calm his racing core, the events from his dream felt all too real. _The SEAT, maybe it all was just a-_ When he saw the high-grade lying on the floor, he realized that sadly it hadn't. _Of course..._ And as if that hadn’t been enough, as if on cue, he felt his head ache from the night before. _Damn it, I’ll never touch high grade again..._ He silently cursed himself for being so careless and swore that it would not happen again. It was bad enough as it was, they didn’t need a chief with a hangover as well, it would make matters even more dangerous than they already were. _I’m supposed to be the clear head around here for heavens sakes!_ For the rest of his time with them, he would keep the SEAT safe. _You’ll be alright, I swear._ Determination rushed through his hydraulics and suppressed any fear and feeling of helplessness that had still been in there. _Nothing happened, the SEAT is fine. I have to stop blaming myself for something that didn't even happen._ The thought calmed him and he managed to get back to his 'chief' self. He would just avoid the Falls for now and teach him everything else there was to know. _Yeah, that's what I’ll do._

Already feeling a lot better he opened the hangar doors and half expected to see his team crouched in front of it, bombarding him with questions about what happened the other day. He was sure that the Kid had told them and knowing his team, they would not let it go until he answered all their questions. They never let a chance to mock him pass. Finding the space completely empty was a pleasant surprise, even though it was suspicious. For a moment he wondered if the others simply weren't awake yet, but then he heard the cheering of the Smokejumpers, indicating that they had started another race, which was unlikely to leave anyone asleep. _Weird... But I’m not complaining._

"Good Morning."

„Ahh!“

Blade didn't expect anyone close to his hangar, except for maybe Maru, but certainly not his trainee, so he couldn’t help the startled yelp that escaped him at the sudden greeting. _What are you doing here..._ Before he could help it, Blade suddenly felt anger rise in him. _The events of yesterday are as much your fault as they are mine! You should have been more careful with your wings, you should have been aware of the danger, you should have just gone to max torque when I told you to in the first place! Some heroic plane you are._ If he had done any of that, he wouldn't have almost crashed and wouldn't have stirred up bad memories that Blade wanted to leave behind forever. _Damn it!_

"What are you doing here? Did the others not tell you to stay away from my personal space?"

"No, they didn't..." The plane hesitated. "I can go if you want me to, I just thought that maybe-"

"Well, you thought wrong."

_Just go away already! Please._ He just couldn't bear having the SEAT close right now, it only made things worse. Besides, he had no business around his hangar and Blade had every right to tell him to go away, especially when he wanted to be left alone. His trainee just turned around without another word and slowly rolled away, as if he was trying to give Blade the chance to call him back. Feeling his sudden anger slowly disperse, Blade just wanted to lock himself in and drown in high-grade. Again, he had caused trouble. The Kid hadn’t meant any bad and he treated him like... _Slag, I don’t even know a word for it, it’s just unfair! Why does it hurt so much?_

"Oh yeah, I didn't tell the others about yesterday." The plane suddenly yelled without looking back.

_What?_

"Thought that they didn't need to know. It's something between us and of no one else's concern."

He was right, it wasn't, but Blade was still surprised to hear that he hadn't told his new friends. _I would have sworn you’d jump at the chance... Thank you._ But before he could say anything, the plane was gone. _Great Blade, way to go. You’ll never train him at this rate..._ Sighing in frustration, he seriously considered just locking himself in for the day. He didn’t feel like dealing with the world right now and he had a feeling that the day would only get worse. _Why..._

A look at his fuel level told him that he should refuel, but he felt no desire to do so. He just wasn't hungry. At the same time, he knew that a cold shower would be the least of his worries if he didn't refuel properly. Maru was like a parent sometimes. The obnoxious, overprotective type. It was just who he was and if it hadn't been for his attitude, Blade probably wouldn't be where he was now. _I probably wouldn't be at all._ After battling whether or not to go, he made his way to Maru after all, sighing in frustration and suppressed anger.

He just wanted to quietly grab his fuel and get out before the medic could see him, he had no nerve for him right now, but Maru was waiting for him. Without a word he simply pulled Blade into the garage, closed the door and then nuzzled close, affectionately stroking Blade’s sides with his lifts. He didn't need any words to understand what was going through his mind right now. When Blade had sent the SEAT the other day, he had been bound to find out what happened at the Falls. _I should have known..._ Maru wasn't dumb, far from it, and he knew Blade well enough to make the right connections, so he just quietly hugged him, silently comforting his friend, and whispered sweet nothings into his audios while still stroking his sides with his lifts, until the helicopter finally was able to relax, letting his mask fall and slowly beginning to cry.

“Why Maru? Why?“

“I don’t know Blade, but it doesn’t matter. Everything is going to be okay. It’s going to be okay.“

Between all the sobbing, it was hard to make out what was being said, but in the end, it didn’t matter. Maru was there, just that was enough. It went on like that for quite some time, Blade sobbing and Maru hugging and comforting him. Later, Blade couldn't tell how long they just stood there, embracing one another, but at some point, his anger and frustration, even the fear were gone.

"Better?"

"Yeah. Thanks Maru. I needed that."

"I could tell."

Maru gave him a smile. Not one of his mocking grins, a real, honest, caring, loving smile. It always managed to cheer Blade up. In some way, Maru really was like a parent to him. A parent and a great friend.

"So, I guess you want your fuel now, huh?"

There he was again, the Maru that the rest of the world knew. Blade involuntarily grinned at the way Maru said it, deciding to play along.

"If you're planning on not giving it to me I'll tell the Dipper where the high-grade is stored."

"You wouldn't do that!"

"Sure would."

"Would not!"

"Would so."

They both broke into laughter, relieving the last bit of tension that had been left in Blade, leaving him feeling like his normal self again. It had been so long since they had last been joking around like this. _Too long, I missed this._

"Feel like you can handle the crazy world out there now?" Maru managed to sound concerned, caring and mocking at the same time, which by itself was already impressive and send Blade into another round of laughter.

"Yes Sir."

Still chuckling Maru gave the grinning Blade his can of oil and opened the door. Blade excited, still smiling and actually in a good mood now. He knew that Maru would always be there to cheer him up when he really needed it and he was really grateful for that. How exactly the medic managed to cheer him up with silly jokes and mocking arguments and goofing around would forever remain a mystery to him, but it worked and as long as it did, he didn’t need to know.

The Smokejumpers had finished their race, applauding Drip who had probably won and receiving some cheers from Dipper, the SEAT and Patch who had been watching. Blade rolled over to them, nodding towards Drip to acknowledge his victory, and stopping in front of Dipper. _Time to get back to business._

"Dipper, I'll need your assistance today. The rest of you are on downtime with the exception of Windlifter who will be scouting. SEAT, get your tailfin over here, we don't have all day."

With that, he turned around and took off. Today he would try to teach the SEAT how to scoop water from the lake. This unit was fairly simple and unless you were a total klutz, undangerous. Behind him, he could hear Dipper talk nonstop about anything and everything and especially about how big of a fan of racing she was. _Okay, we all get it, you got the hots for the SEAT, stop it already! Talking him, and me, into a coma won’t do you any good in pursuing a relationship with him. If anything it will probably scare him away!_ Shaking his head he brought his focus back to the task at hand. He would let Dipper demonstrate how it was done and then let the SEAT try until he either got it, or it was getting too dark to train, whichever one happened first.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and there were no strong winds that would make scooping any more difficult than it already was for a newbie. _Even you can’t mess this up._ Blade took in a deep breath, almost tasting the fresh air and feeling utterly relaxed. Here he was in his element, here he was in control. He noticed that Dippers chattering had stopped, maybe she had noticed that it was doing more harm than good, and for the rest of the flight they were engulfed in a comfortable silence. When they reached the lake, Blade motioned for the SEAT to follow him and took his position above the lake, the Kid circling around it to have everything in sight. Dipper followed him for a while, until she remembered that she was supposed to help.

"Okay Blade, what do you need me for?"

"Demonstrate our trainee here how to scoop water of the lake without drowning in the process."

He couldn't help but grin when he saw the racers insulted expression. The plane was about to answer something, probably an equal insult, but Dipper unknowingly cut him off by beginning her presentation. Blade automatically went back to teaching mode, explaining what the SEAT would have to do when it was his turn.

"Make a normal seaplane approach, stay on the step while collecting water through the scoops."

Dipper went down so that her belly went slightly under water, using the scoops there to collect it.

"Just like that."

Dipper ended her refill and made her way over to Blade who was giving the last instructions.

"Climb up loaded, return to your holding orbit and act as told. Copy that?"

"Copy that."

_So much for the theory, now let’s see you use it._

"Okay, you got twelve to fifteen seconds to scoop and fifty feet to climb up."

He watched the determined SEAT fly down, releasing his scoops and then trying to make them stay slightly under water while flying in a straight line. Of course, his first attempt failed pretty miserably. Even the 'normal seaplane approach' was a skill that had to be practiced a lot before being accomplished, unless you were a seaplane which the SEAT was clearly not. Blade watched in amusement as the Kid kept bouncing off the water and as a result instinctively pulled up, only to go down again. If he got any water out of that at all, it would not be even close to the amount he would need in an emergency. The SEAT looked rather determined to get the job done. A bit too determined as Blade realized when he saw him still scooping, if you could call it that, even though he should be climbing by now. A little bit too late the Kid started his climb, heading straight towards the few trees that surrounded the lake.

"Now watch for the treeline!"

Blade tried to warn him, a little too late. The racer went into a sharp left turn, barely escaping a collision with three old firs, but at least he was unharmed. _So much for the 'undangerous' part. Apparently, he IS a total klutz._ Blade's core was still pounding way too fast. _That could have gone badly wrong..._

"Oh Chrysler, are you okay?"

Dipper circled around the other plane, concern radiating off of her. For a moment Blade considered doing the same, wanting to make sure that the Kid was okay, but then he reminded himself that nothing had happened and that therefore there was no need for him to be concerned. And yet he was. The SEAT just nodded instead of answering Dippers question, indicating that he was fine. Then he went down again, approaching the lake and starting the second attempt, and even though the look of determination never left his face, he was not much more successful than the first time. _Well, at least he’s persistent._

Sighing Blade watched the plane try and try again, occasionally giving him pointers on what to do differently. After a while, progress could be seen. The SEAT was slowly beginning to understand the concept. After an hour he had the 'normal seaplane approach' down, or at least he managed to not bounce right off the water again when he first hit it, but he still wasn't close to scooping even a quarter of what he would need to scoop when reloading during a fire. Given the fact that this was the first time that the SEAT got in contact with those kinds of activities, he was doing a pretty good job, Blade had to hand him that much. Not that he would say it aloud, but he felt kind of proud when he saw how fast the plane was making progress. It still took a lot of time, but Blade knew that it would take even longer with a less skilled plane, so he wasn't complaining. This SEAT was by far one of his better trainees, if you didn't count his fear of the Falls. Also, training wasn't supposed to be over after an hour. If it had been, he would have done something wrong in teaching him. So Blade kept watching, pointing out mistakes and how to correct them, and slowly but steadily, the plane's mistakes got less and less.

They practiced until late afternoon. By the time that the sun started descending, his trainee had managed to make a good approach, stay mostly in the water and scoop almost as much as he would need to. The rest would come with more experience. Blade was tired, but he felt content with knowing that he could cross that lesson off his list. Beside him, he could hear the two plane's excited talk. Both of them kept going on about the lesson, the SEAT's voice filled with pride and Dippers with awe. She kept encouraging and complimenting him, said that he was the best firefighter trainee she had ever seen and that Blade just didn't give him enough credit. Blade snorted at that, not sharing her opinion in the least. _He might have been good with this lesson, but there is still a lot left for him to learn, and going as far as saying he is the best trainee there ever was? Not in my opinion._ For a moment he thought that he saw the Kid glance at him, but when Blade looked sideways, he was absorbed in his talk with Dipper just like before. _Great, now I’m seeing things. Wonderful._

When they landed at the Air Attack, the SEAT and Dipper found themselves swept away by the Smokejumpers. Blade just let them go, deciding that he had done enough for one day, and headed towards his hangars. He wasn't really surprised to find Maru waiting for him at the doors. After his little breakdown this morning, Blade would have been more surprised if Maru hadn't shown up.

"How was the training?"

_Exhausting._

"Great. He’s got the scooping down, so it was successful."

"In other words, a pain in the ass?"

"No! Exhausting, yes, but not that terrible. He's actually not that bad when he is not almost crashing for once."

Maru just raised an eyebrow at that, giving Blade the feeling that Maru knew something that he didn’t know.

"Getting a bit protective, huh?"

Blade felt heat rise in his cheeks, though he had no idea why. He didn't even really like the SEAT!

"You're blushing..." Now Maru was teasing.

"Aw, how cute."

Blade cursed his hydraulics for doing this to him, but the heat only intensified, making the blush even more obvious for anyone who might roll by. _Why...?_ He could see a huge grin spread over Maru's face as he was about to continue, but there was only so much teasing that Blade would let go over his head without reacting and what Maru was indicating definitely crossed the line.

"Zip it Maru. He's my trainee and that's it. In a couple of days, he'll be certified and out of here and we will never see him again. End of the story, that's all there is."

"If you say so..."

_Did you have to say it in that tone?!_ With that Maru turned around and went back to his garage, leaving a slightly confused, but mostly annoyed Blade behind. The sun was gone and it was getting cold, the cool air making his blush disappear. Blade went into his hangar, going straight to his sleeping mat and lying down. He couldn't find sleep though, way too caught up in his thoughts. _Why in the seven skies did I blush? Even if I am a bit protective over the SEAT, as the chief that is my job. I have to keep my team alive and without protection that is hardly possible. You know that too. So why did you say it like there is more behind it when it comes to the Kid? I just don't know what to think of this._ He kept lying awake thinking for a long time, the thought that Maru had planted in him just not letting him go. The moon was already high up in the sky when he finally was able to find sleep, but even then, one word stayed with him and slowly infiltrated his dreams.

_Protective..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, how'd you like Maru?


	5. This time we'll get it right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the next one. Hope you enjoy it and again, feel free to send feedback if you think there's something I could improve. I'm happy to learn. Have fun :)

When Blade woke up the next day, the thought was still lingering in his head and left him in a strange mood. Maru had to be wrong, he was wrong, and Blade would prove it to him. From now on he just would have to be extra strict when it came to their trainee. _No soft spots allowed, not that there ever were any, and no discussions. Protective... Not in a million years!_

A cold spray of water suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts and for a moment took his breath away.

"Ahpfthgmhgpah! Hey! What was that for?!"

"You spaced off and didn't react to anything I said, so I thought I'd try the old methods."

Maru shot him a half mocking, half amused grin. _Thank you very much, but this was absolutely unnecessary._

"Next time just punch me or something."

"Oh, believe me Blade, you wouldn't want that."

"True, I'd rather freeze to death than being beaten to it."

His answer was dry with only a faint hint of sarcasm and annoyance that Maru either overheard or simply chose to ignore.

"Oh come on Blade, it's not that bad. Look on the bright side, at least now you're awake, and on top of that, clean."

"Well thanks a lot, but I think I would have survived without it just as well."

"Okay, I get it, you're grumpy."

_You think?_

"Maru, would you do me a favor?"

Blade could see his questioning look and now it was his time to smile. _Sweet revenge._

"I think I'll teach our trainee the theoretics today, and it would be a lot of help if I had some images to emphasize what I'm saying. Would you be so kind and draw a picture of anything that could be relevant?"

He could see the medic's expression darken for a second. He knew all too well that Maru hated to do any kind of job that he found unnecessary and, let's be real, Blade would have been just as fine without illustrations, but if Maru thought he could just drown him in ice, he could drown him in unnecessary work in return.

"Have them done by noon."

Now Blade was grinning. _That’s what you get for messing with me early in the morning. Your fault._ Maru just looked at him in disbelief for a second, before turning around muttering curses in pretty much any language he knew.

“Arschloch, Baka, Abruti, Zote, Stronzo!“

Leaving Maru to his 'work', Blade went to seek out the rest of his team. It had been a while since they all just spent time together and even though Blade wasn't the most sociable person on the planet, even he wanted to spend time with his team every now and then. He was their chief after all and spending time with his team was important. Besides, he liked to watch their chaos, as long as it was under control and nothing got damaged. He found all of them in a circle near the runway, enjoying breakfast together. When they spotted him, Windlifter and Cabbie immediately made room for him and Dynamite handed him a fuel can. For a while, he just quietly listened to their conversation, something about racing, until Dipper suddenly asked what was on the training program for the day.

"Theoretics. He'll need to know the basic firefighting methods and rules."

She nodded, about to go back to the previous topic, when an idea crossed her mind.

"Do you need any help?"

_In other words, can I be there and flirt with the SEAT?_

"No."

_Simple question, simple answer._ The topic soon changed to firefighting techniques, giving Blade an opportunity to join in.

"I'm telling you, there should be more ground patrols. They could find a fire before it's big enough to catch our eye."

"Good idea, but it's not easy for ground patrols with water tanks to move around in the woods. It's faster and more effective if we just do it ourselves. As often as Blade goes scouting, we're unlikely to miss a fire."

"You could go scouting too every now and then, Dipper. I'm not the only aircraft with eyes in their head. You know."

"Besides, we can simply reload at the lake. Ground patrols would need to return to their base or to the next portable refill station. That takes a lot longer."

"Still, more ground patrols could be useful..."

The discussion went on like that, until the last person, Blade, had finished his breakfast. After he was done, the circle slowly began to disperse, everyone going back to either work or just relaxing. Only when everyone was gone, Blade realized that the SEAT hadn't been there. _That’s strange. I thought he is the social type. Is he still asleep?_ He decided to check his hangar but found it empty. No plane to be seen. Next, he checked the storage room, passing a still cursing and deeply focused on drawing little pictures on a chalkboard, Maru, on his way. When he opened the door he found the SEAT sitting in a corner, slowly sipping his oil.

"What are you doing in here?"

The SEAT spun around, obviously not having expected anyone to come in, for a second looking almost scared.

"Eating breakfast?"

"Why in here?"

_Unless you want to overcharge with high-grade and not get caught, which I would not advise you to do if you want to live to see the next day, I see no reason why you should hide in here._

"Because you guys were out there in your little circle and I didn't want to disturb your team-time."

The Kid sounded a bit sad when he answered, leaving Blade wondering if they really came off as closed off when they were all together. And even though they had their differences, Blade hated to see him this sad and excluded. Even if only temporary, right now he was part of their little group and therefore had every right to participate in their group activities.

"You're a part of this team you know."

For a moment the SEAT looked surprised, but then he simply nodded, a small smile on his face and looking a bit happier. For a while they just looked at each other, none of them knowing what to say next, and Blade found himself slowly drowning in those blue eyes. _They’re so pretty. Almost like the lake._ Then the plane shifted, accidentally knocking a stack of cans over, which resulted in a lot of noise, which snapped Blade back to reality. Rather embarrassed he averted his gaze, looking at anything but the SEAT, and trying to hide the faint blush that he could feel on his face, Blade cleared his throat. Fortunately, the plane seemed to be busy with staring at a very interesting spot on the floor, so he didn't notice it. For a few seconds, an awkward silence lingered in the room, no one wanting to be the first to speak and, apart from that, not knowing what to say. Then, finally, the plane broke the silence, asking the first thing he could think of.

"So, what's on the schedule today?"

_Completely off topic, but better than silence._

"Theoretics. We won't do that until noon though."

"Okay. Do you need me for anything before that?"

Blade hesitated for a moment, but then the part of him that didn't want to leave the plane behind in the storage room all alone, won.

"I don't particularly need you, but I have to go out scouting soon and if you want to, you're more than welcome to come with me, IF you promise to return to base if we happen to find something. You're not ready for a fire yet."

He half expected a polite decline, so he was all the happier when the SEAT nodded.

"Okay."

Blade could see a smile form on the planes lips and it warmed his tanks.

"Well then, if you're done with your oil, let's go."

He exited the storage room, still unnoticed by Maru, the Kid following him to the runway.

"Patch, I'll be out scouting. I'm taking the SEAT with me and I don't think we'll be encountering anything, but just in case, be on alert."

"Copy that, Blade. Have a nice flight you two."

With that, they took off. Blade decided to go to the Falls first, then to the Canyon and then around the Lodge and back to base. It was a small round. Usually, he was checking the forest in between too, but today he didn't see any signs that indicated fire danger and if there really was a fire, they would be able to see the smoke. Heading towards the Canyon, Blade glanced sideways to the plane, who happened to be looking at him the same time. Their gazes met and their eyes locked. Blade just couldn't bring himself to look away. Something about the way the the SEAT looked at him stirred a warm feeling in him that spread like a wildfire from his rotors to his landing gear. He couldn't name it, even if he wanted to, but the feeling was nice. _I wish time would stop._

After a while he managed to force his gaze away, focusing on the Falls instead. They were about to pass them and fly over the Canyon. He saw the planes expression change for a second, before relaxing again when he saw that they were only passing the Canyon. They really would have to do something about that fear of the Falls of his, if that was even the reason. They headed towards the Lodge next. Blade could see the Geysir and for a moment it's beauty captivated him.

"Wow..."

_Beautiful, isn’t it?_ He was pleased to see that the SEAT seemed to appreciate the sight as well. It was one of their parks most beautiful attractions. Blade would go look at it a lot more often if it didn't happen to be right in front of the Lodge and therefore right in front of Cad.

"This Park is beautiful..."

For a moment Blade forgot what he had decided in the morning, swept away by the pride he felt for this park and the feeling that suddenly took hold of him as he saw the SEAT admire the scenery. The Geysir was mirrored in his eyes, making them sparkle like crystals. _So beautiful..._

"It sure is. All the more reason for us to protect it."

"Is that why you came here?"

The water fell again, the sparkle leaving his eyes and suddenly Blade remembered that he had wanted to be more strict and definitely not so personal with his trainee. _Damn it, I’ve been doing the exact opposite since this morning._ For a moment he debated whether or not to go through with it. It was kind of nice talking to the Kid. For some reason unknown to Blade, it made him happy. _I’m getting attached to you already. I have to stop this before it gets even worse. He’ll be gone in a few days and I’ll never see him again. Anything else would hurt too much. I can’t risk losing any more family, so I can’t let you become part of it in the first place._ The thought stung, but on the long run, it would be for the best.

“Blade?“

"That is none of your concern."

It took him a second to remember the question asked, but the instant answer was still fitting. The reason why he came was personal, and he would certainly not tell a trainee about it. _You might be part of this team now, but as soon as you get certified, you won't be, so the last thing I’ll do is telling you anything personal. Besides, no soft spots!_

For the rest of the route, they flew in silence. It was not as awkward as it had been in the storage room, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either. It was something in between, each of them hanging in their own thoughts and not really looking at the other. Just as Blade had predicted, they didn't encounter a fire, so their little scouting tour soon came to an end. When they landed again, Maru was already waiting, shooting Blade a glare.

"The pictures are ready."

Blade nodded, looking back at the SEAT and when he didn't move, clarified.

"That means it's time for your theoretical lesson."

All three of them made their way to Marus garage, where a chalkboard full of pictures was standing. For a moment Blade was tempted to mockingly compliment the drawings, but since they were not alone he chose not to. He and Maru stood in front of the board, the plane just watching them. The entire scene felt a bit awkward, almost like a school, but at the same time, this was a school. _Argh, what am I thinking?_

"Okay, listen carefully. I'll only explain all of this once. Once I'm done, Maru will test you on it. If you fail, you'll have to do it again tomorrow, understood?"

"Understood."

Blade knew that it was almost impossible to understand all of this on the first go. Even he had needed three days. He decided to start with the different forms of attack, motioning for Maru to point at the right pictures.

"Indirect attack, Paralel attack, Direkt attack."

Maru pointed at the corresponding picture to show what Blade meant, while he explained how each of them worked.

"Know what your fire is doing at all times. Wind speed and direction, temperature and relative humidity."

Blade continued like that, glad that he had gotten Maru to do the drawings. Against all expectations, they were actually really helpful. The lesson wasn't exactly complicated, the SEAT would just have to remember all of it.

"Finally, all aircraft must be on the ground 30 minutes after sunset. Flying low at night is the fastest way to get your picture on the wall."

At that Maru flipped the board around, pointing at a drawing of a crashing plane. Now THAT had been unnecessary, but Maru seemed to be rather proud of that one so he didn't mention it. _Suit yourself._

"Any questions?"

The SEAT shook his head, indicating that he understood everything. Impressive, given the fact that Blade had been explaining for almost an hour without many pauses. Now it was Maru's turn. _Let's see how much you actually understood._

"What's a split load?"

The SEAT answered without hesitation.

"The Dropping of a partial load."

"Indirect attack?"

"A method of suppression in which the control line is located some considerable distance away from the fire’s active edge. Generally done in the case of a fast-spreading or high-intensity fire."

_So far so good._

"And what is a Direct attack?"

"A drop applied directly to the Fire or a physical separating of the burning from the unburned fuel."

"What about the Parallel attack?"

" A Drop at a considerable distance of the Head of the fire to cut any further spreading off."

"When fighting a fire, what do you have to account for at all times?"

"Pretty much every weather condition, especially wind speed and direction, temperature and relative humidity. And any kind of storm of course. Also, you have to be careful to always keep your distance to the flames, unless it’s absolutely necessary to do otherwise, to not get caught in them. Always stay in contact with the rest of the team and report your condition in case of any major changes. Never, under any condition, fight a fire on your own."

"And..."

"No flying in the dark."

The SEAT cut him off before he could even ask the question. The questioning continued, the Kid answering one question after the other with such confidence, as if he had been fighting fire his whole life. After the last question was answered, all of the planes answers had been correct, Maru just stared at him, mouth wide open. Then he started clapping.

"Impressive. Not everyone gets all those right on their first try."

_Minor understatement there buddy, no one does. This is impossible!_ The Kid was smart, really smart. Blade still didn't know what to say. _This shouldn't have been possible! How in the seven skies did you do that?_ When he saw the SEAT's expecting gaze on him, he remembered that he should probably say something too, but he was still struggling to find words. _Wow... Just wow._

"Good job. Guess our lesson is over. You're on downtime for the rest of the day."

His voice was shaking and the worst part was that both, Maru and the SEAT noticed. Both, a knowing and a confused look were burning themselves into his side and he could almost feel them on his metal. It was too much, so Blade hurriedly exited the garage, heading up to his cliff and just sitting down in the sun. He just couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that the kid had aced the theoretical lesson on his first try. _Maybe the Kid isn't as bad as I thought. Maybe I really have judged him too soon. And maybe I should consider giving him a second chance. At least now I see a chance, that you will actually make it and get certified._

When Blade woke up early in the morning, he was happy. He didn't know why, maybe he had had a nice dream for a change, but he felt like it was going to be a good day. The others were still asleep, with the exception of Maru who was organizing his garage. Smiling Blade rolled up to him and decided to just talk a bit with his friend. _We don't do that often enough._

"Good Morning Blade. Did the sun shine on you too for a change or is there something I should know about."

Maru wiggled with his eyebrows and Blade just rolled his eyes.

"Nope. I'm just happy. Is there some rule that I don't know about that says I have to be an ice block all the time?"

"Chrysler no! I'm glad to see you smiling. You should do that more often. It suits you."

"Haha, very funny. But fun aside, maybe I will. That is if our trainee gives me a reason to do so. He's almost done. All that's left to do is the extinguishing practice and the Canyon. Once he's nailed those two he's good to go."

“You do realize I’m going to misinterpret that on purpose, don’t you. You should be more careful with your phrasing if you don’t want people to get the right idea Mister ’Absolutely Not’.“

“Maru, it’s called the WRONG idea and as you said yourself, you’re _misinterpreting, on purpose,_ which makes it perfectly clear that it is not what I meant, now change of topic before you manage to ruin my good mood.“

"Okay okay, no need to wipe that pretty smile off your face. So, are you going to try the Falls again today?"

_Seriously?!_

"No, I'll stick with the fire extinguishing. When he has everything else down, maybe it will give him enough confidence to do the Falls. At least I hope it will."

"Sounds more like you’re the one in need of confidence. Don’t worry, I'm sure it'll work. I guess you'll be needing the barrels then?"

"Think you can set them up?"

"Can a plane fly?"

"I sure hope so. I wouldn't want him crashing."

The dumbfounded look on Maru’s face at the reply was well worth it and soon they were both laughing their hearts out. Maru handed him his oil and then went to go and find the barrels. Blade just watched in amusement, as the forklift tried his best to move the barrels, and almost tipped over once he had one on his forks. _Need help?_ Grinning he made his way to Maru, stabilizing him by leaning against his side and then releasing his hoist to help carry the barrels. It took them about half an hour to set everything up, barrels filled with wood and coal so that they would burn. At some point the Smokejumpers had joined in, they were the ones that collected the wood, and Windlifter had shown up, helping with the barrels. Just as they were done, Dipper joined the little circle and when she saw the barrels, her face lit up.

"Are you doing the extinguishing today? If so, I could go with him when he has to reload. Then you can stay here and keep an eye on the fire."

She was really excited about it and Blade, still in a good mood, decided to let her have her fun. Someone had to go with him anyway, so why not her?

"Sure, go ahead. But make sure that you guys go as fast as possible. No chatting on the way. It's part of the exercise that he learns to refill fast."

"Copy that, no talking allowed. Morning guys."

With that, the SEAT joined their little circle. On his wings he balanced 10 oil cans, a remarkable achievement, considering his wingspan. He went around the circle, handing everyone a can. Cabbie had joined as well, politely declining when the Kid asked if he should get him a can too. It was nice seeing his team together like this. The sun was shining, no strong winds, birds were singing and for once, everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Long story short, Blade just felt content. _This simply has to be a good day._

"So Blade, what are those for?"

The SEAT motioned towards the barrels, a questioning look on his face.

"Fire extinguishing practice. You'll find out soon enough. Once we're done with breakfast, we can start right away."

The plane nodded, before being pulled into a conversation with Dipper, something about WATG, which soon turned into a friendly discussion. As Blade watched them, he felt his tanks twist a little. She was getting a bit too attached to the plane in his opinion, attached to a point where it got dangerous for the team morale. A big part of him was not too fond of seeing those two together. _As long as it isn't affecting their work, there is no harm in them talking, but still..._ _I don't like it._ He finished his can rather quickly, both the SEAT and Dipper following his example, and then brought the cans away. _Time to begin lesson number four. Let’s see how you master it._

"Okay, ready?"

"You bet. Dusty, come on. You'll be with me."

The trainee shot a questioning look at him as if to ask if he really was supposed to go with her which left him questioning whether this had been a good idea. _Well, I already told her, can’t take it back now._ Biting back a sigh, he answered.

"You and Dipper will go to the lake, load, then you'll come back and try to extinguish the burning barrels, then it's back to the lake to reload and so on and so forth. How fast you reload is part of the exercise so-"

"No talking", the SEAT cut him off. Blade just nodded and left the two planes to go and reload. Maru had finished his oil as well and followed Blade to the barrels. Pouring the rest of his fuel over the wood, Maru began to put one barrel after another on fire. _Now we just need to wait and see._ This unit didn't really need much explaining. The trainee had to figure out the technique for himself. All that Blade could do was give pointers and corrections. He waited for almost ten minutes until he saw the two planes return. _Well, at least they are fast._ Then he saw the two chatting, the Kid laughing at something Dipper had said. _They look so affectionate..._ And suddenly his good mood was fading, replaced by something he couldn’t place. _This has to be a joke._ But it wasn’t. Just as he was about to yell at the Kid that he should concentrate, Dipper finally decided to leave his side, just escaping being grounded for the next ten years, and the trainee focused on the task at hand. He approached the barrels, slowing down a bit and then released his load.

"Too early."

His pontoons were empty before he even got to the flames. The plane turned around, and made his way back to Dipper, picking up their little chat again. _There goes the not talking part. Make that twenty years._ Something about the way that the two looked together, were behaving towards each other, made his tanks twist. _Those two act like they have been friends since forever and not just known each other for a couple of days. It’s annoying!_ As he waited for the planes to return, he just couldn't think about anything else and slowly but steady, his mood worsened. When he saw them approach again, Dipper was giggling. The SEAT approached the barrels, dropped the water and...

"Too high."

Again the SEAT  turned and went back towards Dipper who shot him an encouraging smile. When the Kid smiled back, Blade wanted to punch something. It pissed him off. _What in the seven skies are you talking about? You’re not actually succeeding in your quest of convincing him to love you? Oh please, don’t!_ He gritted his teeth at the thought of that. His good mood was completely gone, leaving him with annoyance, frustration and something else, something that did not at all feel good. He was angry, and he didn't even know why. It drove him nuts.

"You're jealous."

"What?"

Maru's expression was serious when he repeated his statement, annihilating Blade’s hopes that he had just been joking within a second.

"You're jealous."

"I heard you the first time. What I meant is, how in the seven skies did you get that idea?"

"You're expression speaks for itself. I know jealousy when I see it. I'm a bit surprised to see it on you though. It's not like Dipper's talking will get her the boy. He would have given in long ago if he was interested. You should know that."

_Wait, from the top please..._

"First of all, what makes you so sure about that? And second, why should I be jealous, even if those two did become a couple? That's none of my concern."

He could see Maru sigh and he could swear that he heard him mutter something that sounded suspiciously like 'Oh but it is Blade, it is'. _Wow, thanks a lot Maru. Whatever this is, you just made it a lot worse. How am I supposed to train someone with this condition? Got any smart answers to that question?!_

The forklift, apparently having enough of that conversation, went back to the garage, leaving a very irritated Blade Ranger behind. _Maru, you’re talking nonsense. There has to be another explanation. Maye my oil was bad or something._ Now his mood was worse than bad. When he saw the planes approach again, he felt the feeling get worse. Again the SEAT went for the drop.

"Too low."

Now Blade was annoyed. _It’s not that hard to hit the barrels! And you were supposed to be a crop duster? With that aim?! Never!_

"Those crops of yours, they die a lot?"

The trainee just turned around, and for a moment he thought he saw a hurt expression, but when the plane went back towards the lake and he could see his face clearly, all Blade could see was a mix of anger and determination. _Maybe that will make him get it right. I just want to get this over with and then go out scouting._ He just wanted to get away and, hopefully, bring his mood back up a bit. Almost an hour had passed since they first started, so it was still in the morning. Blade decided that, as soon as the kid got it once, he would leave the further practice to Maru, or maybe Windlifter, and get away from the base, get away from everyone, before he did anything he would regret. And so he waited for the planes to come again, minutes seeming like hours and Maru's words still at the back of his mind. Before he could think about them too much though, he could see the SEAT closing in. This time, his approach didn't slow down, he just looked at the flames, closed his eyes and dropped.

"On target."

_Finally!_

The Kid's eyes sprung open, and a huge smile made its way on his face when he saw the extinguished barrels. For a moment Blade forgot that he was angry and annoyed and just watched the plane turn around, flying a big circle around the barrels and when he saw him so happy, he almost wanted to smile too. _He’s beautiful when he smiles like that..._ the thought just popped up out of nowhere and before Blade could get irritated about it, it was already gone, replaced by something much less pleasant. Dipper suddenly circled with the Kid, congratulating him as if he had just created the earth, and the moment was over. The sick feeling in his tanks was there again -had it ever disappeared- and Blade's need to get away only grew. _I have to get out of here, now!_

"Practice that until you got it right thirty times."

It was the first thing he could think of to keep them occupied. Besides, extra training couldn't hurt.

"Thirty?! Blade, cut him some slack. He's doing a good job, no need to torture him."

He was about to answer that he was not torturing, but simply doing his job, when the trainee got to it first.

"Leave it Dipper. He'll have his reasons. If Blade thinks I'll need to do it thirty times before I can be sure that I got it, then thirty times it is."

With that he took off again, leaving a confused Blade behind. He hadn't expected the Kid to take his side. Shaking his head, he went to Windlifter and told him that he would go out scouting and that he should make sure that the SEAT got the fire extinguished thirty times. Windlifter didn't ask any questions, something that Blade was immensely grateful for, and simply went ahead to watch over the training. Blade took off, heading towards the Geysir. Maybe watching it for a while would help solve his emotional chaos. _It’s worth a try._ When he landed, a bit away from the main viewing spot but still with a good view, he just let his thoughts circle.

It didn't take them 3 seconds to get back to the SEAT. Now, that he was away from him, he knew that he had made a mistake. Maru had been right, he was jealous. What he was jealous of was a different story, but the point was that he had been emotionally compromised. He had overreacted and had been a bit too harsh, but the worst part was that the SEAT had just accepted it without complaining. _Some nice guy I must be out of his point of view._ The thought was frustrating, but the only one to blame for that was him. He'd just have to try and be nicer to the plane in the future. Tomorrow they would try the Canyon again. The SEAT would need all the support he could get and Blade intended to give it to him. _This time, we'll both be better. This time we'll get it right._


	6. Wonderful and terrible at the same time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 6. Hope you all have a great Advent (Do you have Advent where you live?).  
> Enjoy :)

Blade had avoided the SEAT for the rest of that day, fearing that he would snap again and cause even more damage than he already had. Now it was the next morning and Blade had made up his mind. Instead of only seeing what the Kid was doing wrong, he would try to acknowledge the things that the plane did do right. Maybe that would make it easier for them to break the ice. So far he had only increased it, to a point where it was thick enough to roll on, only to trip and end up falling on your face. Blade didn't know if the rift that he had caused could ever be closed, but he could at least try to build a bridge over it. Blade still didn't know how the plane did it, but he cared about him. Somehow the SEAT had snug himself in his core and the once little part that wanted the SEAT to like him, wanted to form a friendship with him, was not so little anymore. He hated how the plane mattered to him, he knew that it would only cause damage, but he couldn't change it. He did care about the trainee, no matter how idiotic he thought that was.

He decided not to eat with the others today, not even with Maru, who would only tease him with his emotions, and so he just spend the time until he saw the SEAT awake at his cliff. When said plane was finally up it was already after 10 o'clock, for a firefighter that was really late, and Blade had almost fallen asleep again.

"Good morning to you. Must have had a nice dream if you slept this long. Ready to train?"

The plane almost jumped when he suddenly heard the helicopter behind him. He turned around with a frown, not used to seeing his chief in a better than bad mood.

"Yes?"

"That's a question. Yes or no? If you're not ready yet that's fine, it's not like I have to go anywhere so just take your time."

Now the SEAT looked really confused. He literally had 'Who are you and what did you do to the ice block of my trainer?' written all over his face. If it hadn't been such a frustrating occasion, Blade would probably have grinned at the expression, it was priceless, but the expression came from a frustrating topic, so he didn't. _It would only make things worse._ Instead, he just went with a small hum, despite everything, quite amused by the situation.

"Breakfast would be good before we go if that is okay?"

"Sure, go ahead. If you starve you're not going to be of much help so take as much time as you need."

Now the plane really looked irritated. _Sadly for a good reason. Not once in the six days that we know each other, have I been this nice to you. All the more reason for that to change._ He had sworn he would see the Kid as an equal to the rest of his team, it was time Blade actually treated him like one. He watched the Kid go and get his oil, watched as he went to sit with the others, watched him start a conversation with them and for the first time he noticed just how much the plane was a part of their team by now. It almost made him sad to think about the fact that he would be gone as soon as he completed that last test.

Unlike the other days, the SEAT finished his oil rather quickly, probably to not make Blade wait any longer, even though he had been serious when he had told the kid to take his time. It was stupid, but somehow he felt like it would make their time together last longer and for some reason at the moment Blade was willing to do anything in order to achieve that. _To buy time, somehow..._ Since they would pass half of the park on their way to the Canyon, if they took the right route, Blade decided to combine the training with his scouting tour. _Time..._

"Load up. We're going scouting too and that means be prepared. Maru!"

"On my way."

Two minutes later they were ready to go. The Kid still didn't seem to trust Blade's new attitude towards him. In fact, he seemed to expect him to yell at him any second now. It almost stung to know just how much damage his behavior had caused, but he couldn't change the past. All he could do was change the future.

"You completed every part of the training except one. You still need to pass Augerin Canyon."

He saw the SEAT's expression change slightly, only for a split second, but still long enough for Blade to notice. They took off in silence and the flight stayed silent, the SEAT being lost in his thoughts and Blade, for once, not wanting to disturb him. They reached the beginning of the Canyon after only a few minutes which left Blade wondering if the plane was hurrying to get it over with. _Maybe that is a good sign._ But somehow he couldn’t shake the feeling that something still wasn’t right. Just like last time, the SEAT went down to the rock formations and Blade stayed above him. Just like last time Blade was captivated by the way that the plane moved. _It simply looks beautiful._ Then he remembered that he was not here to watch. He was supposed to coach the Kid.

"Approach looks good, now increase your air speed. Red line, go to max torque. Don't back off."

His voice was almost soothing, he tried to encourage the Kid to go through with it. He really wanted to help him see that he could do it, that he didn't have to be afraid. It didn't help.

"Don't back off!"

Just like last time, the SEAT pulled power at the last moment and turned around, leaving Blade feeling disappointed, but not at the Kid. _Looks like I’m not exactly doing a good job at helping you... Maybe a different tactic? Maybe if instead of compassion..._

"Ah, why did you bail out again? If you don't push it you're not gonna make it and you won't be certified."

 _On second thought that might not have been the best motivation speech._ The SEAT just turned away from him, a sad and unsure look in his eyes. _Great Blade, just great. You're really doing a great job at being nice to him!_ Somehow he had yet again managed to make the situation worse and no matter how he looked at it, there was simply nothing he could do. _It’s just so frustrating._

"Do you want to try again or do you want to go scouting first?"

He knew that pushing the Kid wouldn't get them anywhere. If anything it would make things even worse, if that was even possible. The plane didn't answer his question and since no answer was also an answer, Blade decided to let it sit for now and try again later. _At some point, you will have to do it, but maybe a little break will help ease your fear of whatever it is you are so afraid of. I’m not so sure anymore that it is the Falls._ A part of him just wanted to ask, but then again, if the Kid wanted to tell him, he would have long ago.

"Okay, scouting it is. Come on! We'll come back later."

The Plane followed him in silence, still looking frustrated. Blade wanted to say something to make him feel better, wanted to help, but a) there was just nothing he could think of that would be soothing in any way, and b) he was sure that the plane would accept comfort from about anyone except him right now. He was really beginning to curse his earlier behavior. _Then again, why should he be the one comforted? He came here to be a firefighter and that simply isn't possible if he lets himself be stopped by his fears. Mayday has spoken of the bravest person he knew and so far, I still have to meet that brave plane. I am starting to wonder if Mayday has been wrong..._ Something about the SEAT that Mayday described and the SEAT that he got to know just didn't fit, didn’t add up. If the Kid didn't pull himself together and pass the Canyon test the next time they tried, Blade was considering to give up. There were only so many chances he could give him.

Suddenly the plane next to him shifted and then rushed forward. _Hey, where..._ Before Blade could finish the thought, he saw where the SEAT was going and couldn't help but grin. The had spotted smoke coming from somewhere in front of them and was now rushing forward to release retardant on it before the 'fire' could get any bigger. Only that said fire was not a wildfire. The SEAT couldn't have known, he had zero scouting experience, but the smoke was not black and not big enough to come from a wildfire. His grin almost turned into a smirk when he caught up to the plane, passing the startled and angry campers and seeing the Kid’s dumbfounded expression, he had to bit back a laugh. _This is such a typical beginner mistake._ As he watched his trainee realize what had just happened, he couldn’t bite back a comment, it was just too amusing.

"Good job. You just saved those folks from a nice vacation."

_Why am I not surprised it happened with you as well? And why am I so happy about it?_

As they left the dripping wet campers behind them, Blade just wasn’t able to stop smiling. It was irritating because there was nothing to be happy about, and yet he felt more content than he had in forever. Camper trouble meant trouble with Cad, and he hated to have to deal with that ignorant, budget cutting, selfish park superintendent, but somehow he just couldn't bring himself to be mad at the SEAT. _Why?_ But in the end, at least a part of him was quite happy with how this turned out. _This entire scene is just way too amusing._ Technically his trainee hadn't done anything wrong. He just did what Blade had taught him and in an odd way, Blade was happy that the Kid had mistaken the campfire for a wildfire. It showed that he knew how to act when he did encounter a wildfire and it also meant that he shouldn't give up on the Kid just yet. The plane next to him looked really embarrassed at his comment and Blade smile only grew. The happy feeling wouldn't disappear. _Maybe I should stop thinking that I know you only the slightest. You always end up proving me wrong._ His grin only widened.

"Hey, don't look so down. You have just extinguished your first 'real' fire. And even before the end of your training. You should be proud of yourself, you're a real champion."

It was completely unlike him, but he just couldn't take this entire situation seriously. His trainee just looked at him in disbelief, still not looking too happy about his 'achievement'.

"Come on Champ, I'm serious here. Smile."

At the nickname the plane spun around, staring at him wide-eyed. No one else of the Piston Peak Air Attack had received a nickname from Blade, he simply didn't see the necessity, but he found that that name fitted the SEAT rather well. _Besides, you’re different from the rest._

"Blade..."

For a second Blade could have sworn that he saw the planes cheeks darken, but then the Kid turned around again, facing forward. Both of them were flying even now, a comfortable silence between them, as they finished their scouting tour. But the most important thing, at least for Blade, they were both smiling. A warm, loving and happy smile, that finally melted the ice.

After they were done scouting, they returned to base. The two of them were still smiling when they landed.

"Good job today. For the rest of the day, you're on downtime. Have fun."

With that Blade left the Champ to attend his own business. He went towards his cliff, closed his eyes and simply let the sun shine on him. He still couldn't stop smiling, he simply was happy and he was pretty sure that nothing could ruin his mood right now. Not even Maru with his never ending teasing could make that happy feeling go. So he just sat there, fully enjoying his life for the first time in a long time, and allowed the good feeling to spread from his nose to his tail rotors. _It’s been too long..._

And then, suddenly a cloud blocked the sun.

"All Aircraft, superintendent Spinner has entered the base, I repeat superintendent Spinner has entered the base."

And within a second, the happy feeling was gone. He could hear the wheels on the dirt that covered the road to the Air Attack and for a moment considered jumping off the cliff. Argh, I should have known. Is it too much to ask for a day of peace? Groaning he turned around and saw Cad driving towards the center of the base, a wide space that connected all the hangars. He felt suppressed anger rise in him as soon as he saw that smug grin and his second groan turned a growl.

"Honk Honk, Beep Beep. Park superintendent coming, I sign your paychecks, is anyone gonna great me? Yes, you are!"

_And as usual, he thinks he is the center of the world._

"I got some oil cans to change"

Right now Blade would give anything to be in Maru's shoes and be able to just roll away. But as the chief, he couldn't do that. He was the spokesperson, so he would have to deal with Cad, no matter how much he hated it. _And hate it I do..._ Sighing he made his way to Cad, trying his best not to hoist the car up and throw him off the next cliff.

"Blade, Blade, Blade..."

It was almost like he heard Blade's thoughts.

"What do you want Cad?"

He didn't even bother to hide his annoyance and when Cad saw that, his expression changed as well. The smug grin turned into a somewhat annoyed one that seemed to say ’I hate being here too’ which left Blade wondering, not for the first time, why he came in the first place. _Would have saved us all from a bad day if you had just called._

"That's a big hill. Listen, do you think I like driving all around and up there over there just to complain?“

_Yes, you do._

“Answer: No, I don't, but I heard from some campers that one of your staff just soaked them with that red fire phosphor phasum stuff that you use, the deodorant."

 _Retardant!_ Blade didn't even bother to correct him. He should have known that that little incident wouldn't go unnoticed by Cad. Slag it, he had known. But the happy feeling had made him forget that little detail. Suddenly the Champ rolled forward as if to speak up. _Don’t!_

"Yeah, I'm sorry, that was my fault..."

Without thinking about it, Blade almost jumped forward, rolling in front of the plane, as if to shield him from Cad. _It’s enough that I have to deal with this egoistic idiot, do yourself a favor and stay out of this._ Blade knew what an angry Cad was capable of and he was used to it, anything that the white car said just bounced right off, but the Champ wasn't, and he was sensitive. Blade wanted to protect him from whatever it was that Cad was about to do, so he acted on his instincts, without thinking. He narrowed his eyes, shooting Cad a glare that clearly said 'Don't you dare!' and for a split second, it seemed like it actually worked. His trainee looked up at him in surprise and if Cad hadn't been right in front of them, Blade would have given the Kid a reassuring smile. _Don’t worry, I’ll keep him away._

"The team needs to train, there's gonna be some mud spilled along the way-"

Of course, it hadn’t worked, Cad didn't even let him finish.

"Are you kidding me?"

 _Seriously?!_ Blade wanted to punch something at that moment, preferably Cad. Rolling his eyes he answered.

"No, that's the way it works-"

Only to be shoved aside by the car mid-sentence.

"No, you are not! Blade you are hiding a world famous racer right here at Piston Peak!"

Raising an eyebrow, Blade turned around. _Why is this not surprising. I should have known, Cad knows his celebrities._

"Ripslinger!"

_Or not..._

Cad made a gesture with his wheels as if he was presenting something extremely valuable to a crowd of unknowing watchers and this time his groan sounded more like an angry dinosaur. Then another thought crossed his head. _What if he’s happy that someone here knows him. What if he turns into something like him now?_ A part of Blade almost expected the SEAT to happily engage in a conversation about his racing career, it simply made sense to him. _You are a celebrity after all. That’s just how you all are..._ He was so caught in the frustrating idea, that so he almost missed the plane’s annoyed expression.

"Ehm, it's Crophopper."

Cad didn't even flinch at the correction. He simply repeated his gesture, this time 'presenting' the right name. The entire scene was becoming more and more ridiculous.

"Crophopper!"

"Dusty."

The plane was rolling backward as if to flee, looking a bit overstrained by the situation. The fact that he was offering the idiot his first name bothered Blade, but before he could dwell on it, yet alone say anything, Cad already continued.

"Right. Me: Cad Spinner, you: one fast plane. What are you doing up here?"

"Well, I came to-"

"Doesn't matter. Tomorrow night, the Lodge, grand reopening party. You're invited and I'm thinking high-speed flyover. What are you thinking?

"I...uh, I'm thinking it'll be dark."

There was an awkward pause where the two just stared at each other and Blade felt pretty content to see Cad speechless for a second. The fact that the SEAT actually remembered the 'No flying in the dark' rule only strengthened the feeling. _Just leave it, Cad. He’s not like the rest of your idiot clan._ Of course, Cad didn't and instead suddenly yelled.

"HEY! There's gonna be a lot of VIPs, very important planes. How would you like to rub tires with the secretary of the interior of the United States?"

_Who would?_

It wasn't a question.

"Of America! I smell photo op, flash, caching! You gotta do it, come on!"

_No, he doesn’t!_

The others looked just as annoyed as Blade did and he just couldn't take it anymore. _Just leave already!_

"I smell something else."

Even though he hadn't intended it, he got a few sneers and suppressed laughter from the rest of the team which left Cad looking dumbfounded for only a split second before he caught himself. _Still, worth it._

"Blade, Blade, Blade, can I explain something?“

_If I say no, will you stop?_

Yes, I can. Look, spilling mud on people makes for sad campers, big party at my Lodge makes for happy campers, you understand?"

"You packed too many happy campers into the park and way too many into that Lodge."

It simply wasn't safe, accidents were bound to happen and that greedy, selfish idiot didn't see it because he only saw the money that came with all the people, not the people that came with the money.

"Oh, we got a structural fire engine down there, protecting us."

 _Argh!_ Hadn’t the conversation turned to an important matter, Blade would have thrown him out, but as obvious as it was that Cad didn’t care, this had to be addressed.

"This isn't just about protecting the Lodge. There's low humidity and a lot of dry wood. Campers could get lost, endanger the wildlife, forget about their campfires and start a wildfire. Storms will be coming up and cause damage. It just isn't safe. And before you say that making it safe is our job, keep in mind that you cut eighty percent of our budget. How do you expect us to do our jobs properly under these conditions?! Do you think equipment just magically shows up when you need it? This place is held together with bailing wire and duck tape. Maru had to rebuild that old tower himself!"

In that entire speech, Blade practically yelled everything that he had bottled up inside for years in Cad's face. Angrily he pointed towards Patch's tower that was still kind of wiggly, but standing and functioning nonetheless.

"It's better than new!"

 _Not the right moment for your life motto Maru!!!_ He was close to yell at his friend to just shut up, but Cad was already talking again.

"Hear me fellow forest friends, dirty though you may be, this is a historic weekend-"

And for once Cad was cut off. Sadly by his phone, which let to Cad yelling something about getting the crystal glasses no matter the price and to fire the old lady if she couldn't get them, at the caller. _Way to go, Cad, that totally just proved my point._ Sadly the only person that point had to be proven to was Cad and of course, he didn’t care. The others expressions had similar thoughts written all over them and blade found himself praying that the car would finally leave. Ending the call, Cad turned back around and when he saw himself confronted with the almost hostile expressions, his expression darkened.

"You're not the only ones that can put out a fire, right?"

That laugh that followed could have shamed the villain of a kid’s cartoon. _You are utterly ridiculous. Go already before I make you!_ Finally, Cad seemed to have decided that he had enough of them and started to roll towards the exit. Before exiting he turned towards the SEAT one more time.

"Will I see you at the party? Yes, I will."

_Oh no, you won’t. Not if I get a say in this._

Framing the noise that a cash register made, _finally_ he exited the Air Attack. They could still hear him rambling on.

"Superstar! Can you believe it, Dusty Cropslinger! He’s even more famous than you, Blazin Blade."

And with that, he was gone. Blade just sighed, still angry and annoyed, and went back to his cliff. _How dare you mention my past..._ _’He’s even more famous than you, Blazin Blade’?! Are you kidding me?! Fame, fame, fame and more fame! That’s all that matters to you, isn’t it?_

“You complete idiot!“

The sun was setting and no matter how much he usually enjoyed the sight, today it wasn't calming at all. He just went in his hangar and slumped down on his sleeping mat. _How can a day be this wonderful and terrible at the same time? It’s just so frustrating. Why do I have to put up with this? Why does a complete idiot like Cad Spinner become park superintendent? Because of the money he brings in?! Does no one see what sacrifices are made in order for him to get that money?!_ _Doesn’t anything besides money matter at all anymore?_

His thoughts continued like that in a never-ending spiral and were frustrating Blade more and more every time they came back to him. He was almost glad when, what seemed like hours later, a loud thunder pulled him out of it. He went outside to see how far the storm was away and was surprised when he found it dark. _Have I been thinking this long?_ In the distance, he could see the dark clouds and the lightning over the forest, accompanied by the rumbling thunder. _It is pretty close..._ It wasn't exactly a rare thing for thunderstorms to happen in fire season, but for some reason, Blade felt his tanks twist with worry when he looked at this one. Somehow he had a hunch that this particular storm would cause a lot of trouble.


	7. You scared the shit out of me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Nikolaus. Here's Chapter number 7. Hope you all enjoy it. Also sorry if I'M currently not replying to any comments, but I still have a concussion and am not allowed anywhere near a Laptop at the moment. Copy and pasting the chapter here to upload it according to schedule is already pushing it. Sorry...  
> Anyway, enjoy as things start really getting somewhere :)
> 
> Also I forgot to mention, but in case you didn't know, Chrysler is their equivalent to god (At least as far as sayings like oh my god go) and I tried to reform some other sayings to fit them better too. If there's anything you don't understand just ask, I'll be happy to explain.

Blade had been right. The next morning he woke up while it was still dark, the sun barely beginning to rise. The storm was still going, luckily far enough away for him to fly. He didn't bother to wake Maru, got some fuel, gulped it down within seconds and then went to the retardant tanks. Loading himself up wasn't easy and Blade only did it when absolutely necessary, but he just didn't have time to wait for their mechanic to wake up. Using his hoist to do Maru's job, it took Blade a few minutes until he was good to go. As soon as his tanks were full, he took off, not even waking Patch. She would be there soon enough. The storm had been bad. It would be a miracle if it hadn't started at least one spotfire, chances were good that there were more. The thought filled him with worry. If there were more than one, that meant they would have to split up, and they were already such a small team. In the distance, he could see smoke. A lot of smoke. Hurrying closer he already knew what must have happened, but he had to make sure. When he was nearing the smoke, his suspicion was confirmed. He could still see some smaller, isolated fires, but most of the spot fires that the storm had caused had merged together, forming a monster of flames that was slowly devouring the park, catching up to the few isolated fires and including them in no time.

_This isn't good. Time to wake up the rest of the team. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get much worse..._

"Patch, come in. The storm has caused multiple spot fires and they've merged. Get the team ready, I'm on my way back."

The fact that he didn't stay with the fire meant that it was particularly dangerous, too dangerous to stay there alone. Patch knew that, and so her confirmation was flooded with worry. _Can't blame her._ _This isn’t exactly a flight in clear sky._

It didn't take him ten minutes to reach the Air Attack. The rest of the team was up and listening to the information that Patch was giving over the speakers. He could still hear the thunder when he landed in front of Windlifter who had been talking to the SEAT until he heard him. He could sense the tension within his team and it only made his hunch grow stronger. _Something is going to go wrong, I can feel it._ And it was killing him. If he could have, he would have told his team to stay put and done it alone, but that was not an option. _We just have to be extra careful._

"The lightning storm started a whole lot of spot fires and they've merged. This is a big one."

_Not that you haven’t noticed._

"The winds are out of the south west with a moderate rate of spread."

Just as Patch said that, Windlifters eyes narrowed and he almost whispered.

"Rapid."

"Wait, we have an update. Rapid rate of spread."

 _How? What kind of sixth sense is this?!_ Not for the first time did he wonder but there were more important things at hand. The odds were against them, the weather not on their side for this one. Rapid spread meant even more trouble. _Every second that we spend here at the base instead of out there fighting the fire is a second that the fire will use to devour everything around it. The longer we wait the more dangerous it will get, and even though we are professionals, even the best of the best can die in a fire. If we wait much longer it will be too dangerous to go. Every second counts!_

"Dipper, you and Windlifter load up. Champ, stay in the hangar."

"What?"

Blade just wanted to tie the SEAT down when he heard the disbelief in his voice. _There is no time to discuss this._ _Chrysler Champ, can't you see I'm only trying to keep you safe?!_ _You will die if I let you go out there, you’re not ready for this kind of danger!_

"Blade, Dusty has been practicing so hard."

"This isn't a campfire!"

"Come on, I can do this."

_No, no you can't! You won't last a second out there, you're not prepared for something this big!_

"You're not certified."

"Just give him a shot."

 _Of course Dipper defends him. If she loves him oh so much she should be on my side with this one. I_ _simply can't take him with us, I can't do that to him. He wouldn't be much help anyway, he isn't ready for this. Why can’t anybody see that?_

"He's not certified!"

"We need every plane we've got."

Windlifters calm voice extinguished the mix of anger and desperation within a second. It was almost like a wakeup call, reminding him of the situation that they were currently in. _You’re right. Damn it, we’ll need any help we can get and we’re currently wasting time, making the situation even worse._ The SEAT rolled forward, a look of determination on his face that he hadn't seen there before. It was almost as if a different plane stood in front of him.

"I want to help."

And somehow, the plane had made his decision for him. Before he could change his mind again and waste even more time than he already had, Blade started his rotors.

"Maru"

"Yeah Blade?"

He could feel himself lifting in in the air, instinctively speeding forward.

"Load him up."

And with that he rushed towards the fire, not even bothering to wait for the rest, he knew they would follow. Behind him, he could hear Maru’s answer.

"Oooookay!"                                                                

 _Guess you'll get to extinguish your first real fire before the training ends after all, Champ_. A bitter smile found it's was on Blade's face at the irony of the situation. _Don't you dare make it your last._

He could hear the others coming up behind him. They were nearing the fire now and Blade's worry grew when he saw how much it had spread in the little time that he had been away. They would have to work fast.

"Cabbie, get the Jumpers down. Dynamite, as soon as you're on the ground build a firebreak close to the left flank."

He let them figure out how to do it themselves and looked at the fire, taking every single condition that formed their current situation in account and had a plan how to approach it within seconds.

"Dipper, move into position. Split low, cover the double length."

"Dipper copies."

He watched her drop to make sure that everything was alright and to give further orders. He had gotten used to flying on the sidelines over the years, but still, especially at times like this, he wanted to just rush in there and do something to help other than just giving instructions.

"Go left one wingspan on your next drop. Champ, tag on and extend. Split low."

 _And be careful..._ Blade felt anxiety rise in him as he watched the SEAT fly towards the fire, the determined look never leaving his face. _Well at least no one can say you’re a coward, but do you have the right to be so brave or are you just overconfident? What if something goes wrong?_

"Copy that."

 _Too late now._ Blade watched him fly towards the flames, watched him getting ready, watched him drop. And of course, it didn’t quite work out.

"Too high, it all dispersed. Windlifter, finish off that ridge."

_Damn it he’s too inexperienced!_

"Windlifter copies."

He had been so worried that something would happen to the Kid, that he had completely forgotten to worry about the Kid doing something wrong. He didn't blame him, this was his first fire and he was still a trainee, but it would complicate things a lot if there were any more mistakes. Had he made the wrong decision? _It doesn't matter, it happened and now that’s how it is._ He began circling the fire, watching for any wildlife that got trapped in the flames, or even worse, campers. He was about to finish his round, relieved that the area seemed to be clear, when a rather distressed Dynamite radioed him.

"Blade, we got a situation. The wind shifted and the fire jumped the line."

_Damn it!_

"Can you make it to your safety zone?"

He already knew the answer, Dynamite wouldn't have called if they would have been able to help themselves.

"No, no good. Our escape run is blocked. We need a drop."

"Copy that. Dipper, Smokejumpers trapped. Left flank, set up for a drop."

_Let's just hope that the drop helps. If not then..._

"I see them, I got it."

 _CHAMP!_ For the second time since they've met, the SEAT almost flew over his nose, his wingtips only millimeters away from it. The words took a second to sink in and when he realized what the Kid was about to do, it was too late to stop him. _NO!_ Blade just wanted to scream, wanted to stop him somehow, wanted to protect him from the flames that he was flying right into. If this went wrong, they would lose the Jumpers, the fire closing in on them rapidly. There would be no time for a second attempt and if the Champ wasn't careful, Blade would lose him too. _Please..._ He watched helplessly as the plane disappeared in the smoke. He waited anxiously, seconds stretching endlessly, and with every second that the SEAT didn't come out, his worry rose. _Where are you? What's taking you so long?_ It physically hurt. _I’m going to lose them!_ By now he fought a losing battle with his tears, desperately trying to keep them in. _Champ... Don't do this to me_. The first tear escaped, slowly finding its way down his nose. Blade felt like he was about to crash at the weight of the worry and the pain that was coursing through him. _I can't do this again!_

"Alright, we're clear."

 _Champ..._ He heard the words, but he only understood the meaning behind them, when he saw his Champ flying out of the smoke, perfectly fine and unharmed. _Thank Chrysler_ _! You’re alive!_ He watched through a blur, trying to blink away the tears and shake off the worry, as Dipper rushed towards him, almost tackling the other plane mid air.

"That's my Dustmuffin!"

Blade just was immensely relieved. With all the worry gone for a second, he felt so light. He couldn't help it, he just had to laugh, a few tears rolling down his nose, as he felt the tension, fear and pain slowly disappear. It was a quiet laugh, full of relief, and he was sure that over the fire no one had heard it. Then the Champ turned towards him, locking eyes, and at that moment, Blade just wanted to throw all caution in the wind and tackle the plane himself. The Kid shot him a smile and for a moment, Blade allowed himself to smile back. Along with all the other feelings from his emotional chaos, he could feel a bit of pride for his trainee. _Good work._

"Champ, load and return. We still got a lot of work to do."

"Copy that."

And for the first time ever since he met the plane, Blade wished that the SEAT was a part of their team. No, for the first time, the SEAT was part of the team. He half watched as the plane turned around and flew towards the lake before turning his attention back to the task at hand. The fire was still burning, but they managed to stop the spreading and Windlifter was currently attacking the flanks, making sure it would stay that way. _Good, at least we’re making progress._

“Windlifter, finish your drop. I’ll tag on and extend. Dipper, Champ, start working on the heart and keep an eye on the wind. Reload as soon as you’re done and be quick.“

“Windlifter copies.“

“Dipper copies.“

“Copy that Blade.“

For a moment Blade had to smile at the kid’s confirmation. It was a simple mistake, easily made, and on top of that his fault. _With all the theoretics we forgot to teach you radio code. Great job..._ Mentally applauding himself, he began his drop while explaining the basic radio rules.

“Champ, when I give an order on the radio to just you and no one else it is okay to confirm with just ’Copy that’. When I’m referring to more than one person or no one in particular, always confirm with your name to make sure that I know who just confirmed. With such a small team I can differ your voices, however, should you ever be part of a bigger team it’s best to automatically do it right. Copy that?“

“Dusty copies.“

“That works too.“

For a moment, Blade could have sworn he heard the Kid chuckle but before he could ask him about it, he finished his drop and had to go reload. _We’re fighting a fire here after all, chit chat’s for later!_ As usual, Windlifters timing was perfect and he came in again just as Blade was about to go, taging on and extending. _So far so good._ Their technique seemed to work out. Slowly but steadily the flames were decreasing and even though they were working at a very slow rate, they were succeeding.

Extinguishing the rest of the fire took about 3 hours, rather more than less but Blade hadn’t had the time to look at his internal chronometer when the fire started, and went by much more smoothly than expected, especially after the events of the first hour. Most of the flames were extinguished and what little was still left burning on the ground under permanent supervision to make sure that it wouldn't spread again. On their way back, Blade could still feel the relief coursing through him that no one got hurt. The only bad thing about the exhausted silence was that it gave him time to reflect on everything that had happened. It was then that it occurred to him how dangerous it really had been for the SEAT. _I should never have agreed, it’s a miracle you’re alive. You were anything but ready!_ But it didn’t go wrong. Almost, but not quite, and for that Blade felt immensely grateful. _You still gave me a pretty good scare there Champ... I really thought I had lost you to the flames for a second_. He hadn't felt that terrible in a long time and the thought of never seeing the plane again had been like a knife that stabbed him right in his core. It hurt. And the worst part was, had something happened to the SEAT, it would have been his fault. _My fault and my fault only. I should have been more careful. Chrysler knows what could have happened. I promised to keep you safe..._

Blade only realized that he had fallen behind dwelling on his thoughts, when he heard the excited chatter that came from the runway in front of him. His eyes instantly went to the SEAT and he started making his way over. _We need to talk._

"Huh. So, that's it?"

He had to shake his head at that. _You barely made it out alive and you still want more?!_ Some trainee he had gotten himself there.

"Yep, fire's contained. The Jumpers will straw in it until it's out. You did a great job out there sweetsie."

Again, Blade felt a little twist in his tanks at Dipper’s usage of nicknames for the Kid. _Will that ever stop? It is starting to get really annoying._ The feeling mixed all so perfectly with his left over worry and frustration.

"Thanks. I saw the Jumpers in trouble and I-"

_And I what? Had to come in and be the hero even though I was likely to die and instructed to do otherwise?!_

Now he was just angry. _How can you talk about this as if you’ve just been grocery shopping?!_ _You almost died Chrysler damn it! I almost lost you!_

"You broke formation in a crowded airspace. Could have been you spread all over the woods instead of retardant. Don't go planning your certification party yet, Champ."

As he turned away, he could hear the Kid's frustrated sigh and it almost made him turn around.

"Ah man."

"Come on, that's just Blade’s way of saying good job."

_No, no it's not! That's my way of saying 'You scared the shit out of me, don't you dare ever worrying me like that again.'_

But in the end, Dipper was right, at least a little bit. The Champ had done a pretty amazing job out there. Sure, he could have died, but he hadn’t. He was still there and he had just extinguished his first real fire and promptly saved an entire section, five lives! His little speech had been meant as a lecture, but in the end, he couldn't help but feel a bit proud of his trainee. He was beginning to see what Mayday had meant back then. _One of the bravest people I know..._


	8. I'll protect you, I'll have to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the next chapter is up. I particularly had fun writing this one and I think out of the entire story it's one of my favorites. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.  
> Also thanks for all the feedback I'm getting. When I first started writing this I didn't even think that anyone would read this, let alone leave feedback. Thank you so much.  
> I'm still down with a concussion, so I'm still not allowed to do more than copy and paste the chapters from word to here.  
> Anyway, hope you all have a great Christmas time (or whatever you call the time until Christmas).  
> Enjoy :)

Blade had been so happy and so relieved that the SEAT was okay, that he had completely forgotten about Cad's damned Lodge-Reopening party. He only remembered, when he found himself the only person still at the base. _Even Maru is gone!_ Blade gritted his teeth, close to just radio them and order them to come back this instant. _It is against the safety rules for less than three people to be at the base. How can you simply forget that? And why in the seven skies did you have to go to that damn party? Why are you guys encouraging that selfish idiot?_ _Do you want to 'rub tires with the secretary of the interior’ that badly, Champ?!_ He had a bad feeling about this night. Something was in the air and with that, he didn't mean the party or his mood. Something was about to happen and of course, now he was alone. He decided to let it be, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyway, and went to bed. _Best to sleep through the night. If something big is coming I’ll need it, especially with the others gone. Damn it, you’ll all be grounded for the rest of the summer!_ And with that last thought, he went to sleep.

It was the calm before a storm.

The next morning they were all awoken at the same time for once. The alarm could probably be heard for miles. Patch was in her tower and almost shouted the information through the speakers, loud enough to probably be heard even without them, while everyone hurried to get oil and load up. Blade quickly looked around to see if everyone was there, only to find the SEAT missing. _Come on Champ, you can't tell me you slept through that! Hurry up!_

He saw Maru hurrying towards the plane’s hangar, pushing the door open and in his annoyed and this time rather angry manner he told the Kid what had happened. Cad's damned VIPs flew in too low and spread fire debris everywhere. Just at the thought of that, Blade wanted to punch something. _How could someone be this stupid?!_ He was already in the air and ready to go when he saw the SEAT still in his hangar. _What are you waiting for, an invitation?!_

"Champ, let's load and go!"

That seemed to pull the plane out of his trance. Maybe he really had been waiting for Blade to tell him what to do. This time he waited for the rest of his team before taking off. It would be far too dangerous to go alone. He also wanted to keep a close eye on the SEAT. The feeling that something would go terribly wrong was even stronger than it had been the day before, and Blade wouldn't risk losing the plane twice. Surprisingly the Kid had already picked up on the 'refuel in haste' habit and so it didn't take him two minutes until they were ready to go.

The flight was silent, everyone mentally preparing themselves for what was about to come. Also, there was a strong crosswind, which made flying rather difficult. _Just great, exactly what we need. If the weather keeps changing like that, we'll have to abort the mission. This can't get much worse._ In the distance, he could see two columns of smoke. _And it just did._

"Fire broke containment, split in two. Windlifter, you and Dipper take the Coil Springs fire. Me and the SEAT will take Whitewall Rapids."

He could see the Kid’s expression change for a second as he watched the other two turn left. Two firefighters for a fire was the absolute minimum and Blade hated to put all four of them in that danger, but there was no other way. He would need to keep a close eye on the Champ. _The last thing we need now is an accident._ Blade could already hear the flames, he could feel the heat and under them, the first flames came to sight. Suddenly Blade recognized just where they were headed and his head shot up, gazing forward. There, right in front of them, and right in the direction the fire was spreading, was the Fusel Lodge. _Crap!_

"Maru, come in."

"Yeah Blade?"

He could see the Kid next to him tense, could see his worry, and he knew perfectly fine what the SEAT was feeling. His tanks were turning upside down at the sight. _The situation just keeps getting worse._

"It's worse than we thought."

"Yeah?"

"Get on the horn to the Lodge. That fire is about four hours from their front door. They're gonna have to evacuate."

At that, he saw a hint of fear creep into the planes expression. Blade automatically flew closer, as close as he could without endangering them, and shot him an encouraging smile. _You can do this, Champ. Just do as told and you'll be fine. I'll protect you._ None of the words left his lips. They didn't have time to be emotional, so he just went on and explained his strategy.

"If we're gonna save the Lodge we gotta keep this fire from pestering the ridge. I'll drop, then you tag on and extend. And make it a split move, that way we can attack both flanks and then make a secondary line that will keep the Lodge safe for a while. It should get the part that is endangering the Lodge boxed in until we can reload and do more. Copy that?"

The plane behind him stayed quiet. For one terrible moment, Blade thought they had been separated, but when he glanced back he saw the SEAT right behind him. A wave of relief washed over him, only to turn into irritation when he saw the plane starring into thin air, seemingly lost in his own world. _This is not the time to be daydreaming!_

"Hey!"

"Huh?"

"You copy that?"

_Please, Chrysler, tell me that you even listened to what I said._

"Yeah, y-yes, copy that."

That was good enough for him. Whatever had pulled the SEAT into his mind was now hopefully gone. There couldn't be any mistakes, not now, not in this situation. Not when it was just the two of them.

He flew towards the left flank and started his drop, carefully keeping an eye on his retardant level. When he had dropped a bit less than half of it he flew to the side and let the Kid extend. _Let's just hope this..._ Before he could finish the thought he turned around and what he saw just made him freeze mid air for a second.

"You gotta be kidding me!"

The planes pontoons were either a lot bigger than Blade had thought or the Kid had just made a terrible mistake. He was beside the plane before he even knew that he moved, anger slowly beginning to rise.

"Was that your whole tank?"

"Yeah."

"You just wasted all of it!“

"I was just following your orders..."

_My orders?! You didn't listen to me one single bit, did you?!_

"I said split load! You were going to make a secondary line to protect that Lodge!"

"It'll be fine, I can reload at the lake."

"NEGATIVE!" _Whatever you do, stay away from the lake!_

"What if..."

Blade didn't even let him finish. The crosswinds had gotten even stronger, making reloading at the lake far too dangerous.

"Return to base!"

"No, there's no time. Let's just get this fire out!"

The SEAT was completely ignoring him. The anger was suddenly replaced with panic and Blade found himself unable to move when he saw the Kid turn towards the lake.

"Hey, Hey! You need to listen to me!"

Blade was trying to make him stop, but it was no use, he couldn't think clearly.

"I'll be fine."

_No, you won't! You'll crash! I already lost Nick to the crosswinds, don't..._

None of it left his mouth, the panic rendering him unable to speak. The SEAT was heading towards the lake and all Blade could do was hurry after him.

"These crosswinds are too strong, return to base!"

"This is what you trained me to do!"

"Not under these conditions!"

Blade could already see the lake and the panic just got stronger. _You’ll die!_

"If we're gonna get this fire out I gotta reload."

The SEAT was descending...

"PULL UP!"

Blade didn't care that his panic was perfectly audible. It didn't matter anymore, all that mattered was getting the idiotic Kid out of the danger zone before it was too late.

"That's an order!"

_If you don't pull up now you're going to crash! STOP!_

"No, I can do this."

_NO!_

But it was too late. The plane was landing on the water, and Blade could just watch in panic, as the winds suddenly took hold of the SEAT, causing him to lose control and tip over.

"Whoa!"

Within a second, his propeller and engine were stilled and for one second it was dead silent. _No..._ Then the Kid tried to restart his engine and only got a stuttering as an answer. Blade didn't know which sound was worse, panic still coursing through him at rapid speed. _Okay Blade, calm down. Panicking is not going to help you. He's okay..._ He took a deep breath and slowly was able to calm down. He couldn't change their current situation, but he could at least try to get the Champ out.

"I've taken in too much water. Argh, my engine's stalled!"

"Stalled?! Ah."

 _That's all? Thank Chrysler._ Blade felt the last bit of fear vanish. A stalled engine was easily fixed. Now their only problem was that he had to get the Kid out of the water. Looking down he suddenly remembered that the lake was connected to the Rapids. Under him, the plane was being swept away by the current, unable to free himself, and heading right towards the Rapids. _Crap! Okay, calm down. I can still get him out of there, we just need to keep a cool mind._

"Keep your pontoons downstream, I'll keep ahead of you."

Somehow having a plan, despite how vague it was, made Blade return to his calm, concentrated self that fought wildfires. _This is by far not the worst that has ever happened._

"I'll get out on my own."

_Champ, Chrysler damn it! This is not some sort of game where all that matters is your pride! Let me help you for Chrysler’s sake!_

"Really?! How are you planning on doing that?"

"I'll restart my engine!"

 _Because that worked so wonderfuly well a few seconds ago?!_ Whether or not the SEAT wanted him to help could be of no less concern to Blade. He'd sworn himself to keep the Kid safe and he was not going to break it. His side slid open and Blade released his hoist.

"Just hang on, I'm gonna pull you to shore."

The plane was still trying to start his engine, still to no avail. The river was becoming more and more rapid within a second and suddenly, the Kid got turned around and before he could change his direction, he got pulled down a little drop backwards.

"AH!"

There was a clear stretch ahead, Blade would just have to be quick. _Timing..._ Narrowing his eyes, he aimed at the tail, threw his hoist and...

"OW!"

It hit the tail, but it didn't wrap around it, it slid right off. _Not good..._ Blade didn't have the time to do an excessive turn, so he just stayed in the same place, turning 180 degrees. It was almost painful to do and required a lot of strength, strength that Blade desperately needed, but he couldn't waste another second. _He’s being swept away!_

"Argh!"

Again, the SEAT was swept down a little waterfall, and when Blade was able to catch up again, suddenly the Rapids were covered with fallen trees and bushes.

"AHH!"

"Are you alright?"

Blade's worry slowly began to reemerge. _Oh Chrysler, please be..._

"I'm okay."

Blade looked ahead, his worry only growing when he saw for how long the coverage went on. _Damn it!_ While silently cursing the coverage he was looking for the next clear spot, getting more and more desperate when he couldn't find one. Under him he could see the plane, helplessly thrown around by the waves. For a split second their eyes met and Blade saw blank fear and the silent plea for help in them.

"There's too much coverage. Don't worry, I'll get you at the next clearance."

"Right."

The fact that Blade still had a 'plan' seemed to reassure the plane. Blade, on the other hand, was getting more and more anxious. Finally, he spotted a clearance and without much thinking hurryied towards it, preparing for his next attempt. He could see the SEAT coming, the Rapids playing with him like he was some sort of toy, like a leaf in the wind. Again and again, his head was pushed underwater, only for the plane to struggle up again, coughing and desperately trying to breathe. At last, the Champ was within range. Blade aimed, threw, and for a second it looked like it was going to work, but then suddenly, just in that moment, the plane’s pontoons got caught in a few branches. That resulted in the plane abruptly stopping and another wave pushing his nose under water, resulting in the hoist bumping off his nose yet again. _No!_ But the worst part was that it bumped right into a fallen tree, tangled up between the branches, and trapping Blade in his place, rendering him useless. _NO!_ Blade pulled as hard as he could, seeing the plane come up again, coughing and barely breathing. He was now ahead of Blade, not being able to see what just happened.

"The hoist! It's caught!"

His desperation grew and grew along with his fear as he pulled as hard as he could, but it was useless. He remained caught. _This can’t be happening! Chrysler please! I can’t lose him!_

"Blade?"

Again the SEAT got turned by the waves, being able to see Blade or a second, before again falling down a drop.

"BLADE!"

He would never forget the panic in his Champs voice, and with hearing it, his own panic rose as he pulled and pulled and pulled. Slowly, the hoist was getting loose.

"Come on..."

 _Get free already!_ If he kept going at this rate, the SEAT would long have crashed after falling down the Falls. _I won't be able to save you!_ The realization hit him like a punch in the nose. _I’m useless._ And no matter how much he hated it, there was only one solution. _You have to save yourself._

"You need to start your engine. You got clear water, you can take off before the Falls."

His core twisted at the thought of not being able to help, but his hoist was just too caught up.

"Er..."

"It's your only chance!"

_Don't you even think about running scared now!_

"Ah, y-you you're right, you're right! I got, I got to... I'm doing it."

In the distance, he heard an engine come to life and hope washed through him.

"Now Redline."

 _You can do this._ He could see the plane slowly speeding up, but he wasn't going into the Redline.

"Push your engine!"

Still nothing...

"Redline!"

_Why aren't you listening?!_

"You need more lift, Redline! Redline!"

Again, blank panic was rushing through Blade. _At this rate, you won't make it!_

"Why are you holding back? REDLINE IT!"-

In a desperate attempt to break free, Blade went to Redline himself, pulling for all he was worth and finally breaking free. He didn't even bother to slow down in relief, he just rushed forward. The plane was almost on the edge, he wouldn't make it in time!

"Aaaah!"

The SEAT didn't have enough speed, he simply fell over the edge, like a rock, with a scream that Blade wouldn’t forget in a while. At the time he didn’t care. He just looked once, closed his eyes and threw. If this one missed, all hope would be lost. _Please..._ The seconds that followed with his hoist flying through the air were almost too much to bear. Blade didn't dare to look, the fear that he missed way too big. _I'm sorry..._ And then, finally, he felt the hoist wrap around something. His eyes shot open. He had caught one of his pontoons! _You’re alive!_ Again he pulled with all his strength. For such a small plane, the Kid was rather heavy. In addition to that, he was still powered out from freeing himself. Blade didn't have the strength to pull him far, but he was desperate not to let go. _Come on, almost there!_ He only made it a few meters, until he was over dry land, before he had to give in and let go. The plane almost crashed into a few trees before landing on the ground. When Blade saw him, panting and still catching his breath, all his panic suddenly disappeared, leaving anger and desperation.

"Why didn't you Redline it?! You could have made it! What were you thinking?"

_I could have lost you!_

Just as he was about to go on, demanding answers, he suddenly smelt something. _Smoke... Chrysler, how could I forget?_

"What? What's wrong?"

Blade flew higher to see how close the fire was, still unable to believe he had completely forgotten about it. A second later he wished he had stayed down. The flames were not even ten meters away, closing in on them at high speed. They had to get out of here, and fast. He saw the questioning look of the plane on the ground and it occurred to him that there was no way to get said plane in the air. _Oh for Chrysler’s sake, could this get any worse?!_ He had to find another way.

"This isn't good... Head down that path. Follow me."

The SEAT hesitated, fear slowly creeping back into his expression at Blade’s serious tone. His anger was completely gone. He could still lecture the Kid for the rest of his training after they’d made it out. _If we make it out..._ He knew he wasn’t supposed to ever think that, if anything it would cause him to subconsciously give up which would be fatal, but their chances of survival at the moment were rather bad if they didn’t find a solution within the next five minutes.

"Champ, come on!"

 _There has to be a way..._ And then he remembered. The old mine was within reach. It wasn’t optimal, far from it, but at least it was a chance. The only chance for the plane and under no circumstances would Blade leave him behind, especially not now. Carefully, he landed on the ground. _We’re in this together now._

"In here."

_And I promise you, we’ll get out together._

"An old mine?! We... We can't go in there, we'll suffocate!"

He could practically feel the panic radiating off of the Kid. Blade wasn't to keen on going in there either, but there was simply no other way.

"It's our only chance. We'll let it burn over."

Even to him that sounded scary and slowly he felt his own fear rise, but he couldn't let it show. He had to keep up the charade of the ice block, for the Champs sake.

"No, no. You go on, I I'll keep moving..."

"What are you doing?"

The SEAT just turned around and rolled away, rolled right towards the fire! _That’s the wrong way! Do you want to die?!_

"Hey! HEY!"

Blade almost jumped forward, blocking the way and forcing the plane to stop. _Not on my watch._

"You can't outrun the fire!"

_Trust me..._

"You know what, I'll find my way out..."

"Like you found your way out of the Rapids?

Blade slowly felt his anger return. _I'm trying to help you!_

"I didn't want to... push my engine."

For a moment Blade was frozen solid, frozen in disbelief. _You didn't want to. You didn't want to?_

"YOU DIDN'T WANT TO?!"

_You were about to die and you just didn't want to?!_

"Blade, listen to me..."

_No!_

"This isn't about you! This is about life and death."

_Have you somehow missed that? Did you somehow miss the danger we're in?!_

"You need to follow orders! I told you Split load, you dropped it all. I told you not to reload on the lake, you did it anyway."

Now he was shouting, the anger and frustration, everything that he just held in ever since the SEAT first came, it was all coming out now. _Damn it, this is all your fault!_

"I told you Redline and you pull power! You don't have what it takes!"

He didn't even realize just how desperate he was.

"You know-"

"FINE! I never wanted to be a firefighter anyway!"

The words hurt. They were like a punch in his tanks, like a knife through his core. He watched the plane roll away from him, and it hurt all the more! For some reason he felt betrayed. _How dare you..._

"Then go back to racing!"

He didn't expect it, but was all the more pleased when he saw the SEAT stop dead in his tracks. _Oh so now you listen to me. Great, so on top of all this you’re just like the rest of your kind. Perfect!_

"Go win yourself another trophy. Champ."

He almost spat the name out like rotten fuel, not able to see it the way he once did. The Kid spun around, wide eyed and something about the way he looked made his tanks churn.

"I CAN'T! My gearbox is busted, alright?! That's why I pulled power! I'm ne... I'm never gonna..."

And with that small sentence, Blade's anger was gone. His rotors, that he had unconsciously started again during the fight, slowly came to a halt and for the first time, he understood. He saw the tears in the SEAT's eyes and for the first time, the plane looked vulnerable, almost broken, and seeing him like that, Blade just saw himself. He remembered all too well...

"Life doesn't always go the way you expect it."

His voice was calmer than in a long time, almost soothing.

"But you came here to become a firefighter."

The Champ averted his eyes, looking almost guilty. _Even if that wasn't your intention, Champ, you still did._

"If you give up today, think of all the lives you won't save tomorrow."

A sad smile formed on Blade’s face as his voice almost broke on that statement. It bore too many painful memories. _Trust me, I know how you feel. It may not have been a person, but having a part of you dying, forcefully ripped away from you, must have hurt all the same._ He just wanted to nuzzle the Kid right now, a warm and heavy feeling spreading through him. He wanted to see that beautiful smile again.

"So what are you gonna do?"

_Are you going to trust me? To let me help you?_

The plane's look began to change, from broken to determined. Slowly, almost gracefully, he turned around and rolled towards the old mineshaft. _Thank you..._ Blade followed closely, the fire closing in on them. All around them he could see the flames, reaching out in a blind attempt to find more to feed on. _In its own strange way, it is beautiful._ The wind was still working against them, feeding the fire with oxygen and letting it burn all the brighter. He turned around one last time, taking in the sight, before rolling into the dark shaft. Behind him, the entrance began to collapse. The wood that was holding the ceiling was breaking, one tearing right through the SEAT's tail paint, leaving a terrible metal shriek ringing in Blade’s audios. The fire was starting to consume the debris that blocked the entrance and soon they would reach out to them.

_I'm going to protect you._

Behind him he could feel the Kid shaking and in that moment he had made up his mind. _I'm going to keep you safe. No matter the cost..._ He could feel the heat reaching out for him and in a desperate attempt to protect the SEAT, he rolled forward, shielding him from the flames. _I won't let them hurt you._ The moment the flames touched him, a searing pain shot through his entire body. It felt like billions of little bugs were eating him alive, their teeth full of acid that cut right through him and spread. It was horrible. He squeezed his eyes shut, grinding his teeth, and desperately fought the urge to get away. _I won't let you go through this. I'll protect you, I have to!_ He could feel his left side beginning to melt, the metal beginning to boil under the immense heat and couldn’t hold back a pained cry any longer. _I just have to be strong..._ He could barely stay conscious, the pain only growing to a point where he just wanted to pass out, so that it would be over, but he had to stay awake. _I have to..._

Tears were streaming down his face and his cries were slowly turning into screams of pain, muffled by his sobbing. _Make it stop! I don't know how much longer I can do this! I can't..._ He felt his consciousness slipping away and he knew he wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer. _Champ..._ His desperation only rose. He couldn't let his Champ go through this, he had to stay awake, he had to keep him safe! _I promised..._ He opened his eyes, just a little bit, in the hope of seeing an end to the flames. He saw the entrance collapse completely, locking them in, blocking the fire out. Relief washed over him. _I made it._ _You're safe..._ But the pain was still there. A cloud of smoke and ashes came from the last bit off collapsing entrance and in the few seconds, that it was completely dark even with their lights on, Blade felt his consciousness fade. With one last cry of pain he collapsed.

_Champ..._

And then the pain was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger...  
> (Well, you already know what happens next but still) ;)
> 
> So, what'd you think? Did I get Blade right? In the movie it all happened so fast, I literally had to watch it five times to get all the lines and expressions right and to make it as accurate as possible. The mine scene was my favorite of the entire movie and I wanted to make it as good as possible. I hope you liked it as much as I loved writing it. 
> 
> Have a good second Advent tomorrow :)


	9. Wake up!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the next one. Hope you all like it.  
> Enjoy :)

"Blade?"

No answer. The helicopter in front of him laid still.

"Blade!"

It remained dead silent. _No, no no no no no, you can't..._

"Wake up..."

 _Please!_ This was all his fault. Dusty slowly felt tears well in his eyes, not even bothering to hold them in. _I'm scared..._ And with a sob, he broke down next to Blade, nuzzling close, nudging his side with his nose, trying to get a reaction. Outside he could hear the fire raging, burning over them, and he knew, that if it hadn't been for him, Blade would be safely in the air now. If he hadn't been so fixated on what Dottie had told him, if only he had listened. Blade had trusted him, had depended on him, and even after he had made a mistake, had still been there for him. _I thought you wanted to send me back to base to stay there, because I was too incompetent. I wanted to show you that I wasn't, wanted to show you that I could do it. I just wanted you to be proud of me, say 'Good job', just once... I wanted you to see me as an equal, someone that is worthy of your friendship. You might pretend to be an ice block, but I know you're not. I just wanted you to trust me enough to let me see the person behind the facade. Look where it got me. I'm so sorry! I promise I'll listen from now on, I promise I'll leave you alone, kick me out if you have to, just wake up!_

"Please Bade, don't leave me alone right now..."

His sobs had grown louder and if he hadn't been nuzzling so close, he would have missed the pained groan that came from his chief entirely. He jumped back, a startled yelp escaping him and his sobs immediately dying down.

"Blade!"

_Thank Chrysler..._

The darkness was nice, it was cold and Blade didn't feel anything. A part of him just wanted to stay, not wanting to return to the heat, the pain. Here, everything was fine. No worries, no danger, no pain...

"Please..."

 _Is someone talking?_ He couldn't hear it clearly, but in the back of his mind, something was screaming that he should listen, that this was important. _Why?_ He just couldn't think hard enough. Why did this voice seem so familiar, why did he feel like he was forgetting something of utmost importance? Then, he suddenly noticed someone sobbing. The voice seemed so familiar... _Who is crying?_ And all of the sudden, it all came back. _Champ?_ Blade felt worry rush through him, for a moment completely forgetting his condition. _Is he hurt? Did I fail?_ He tried to open his eyes, but before he could do so much as lift an eyelid, he was cruelly reminded that, of the two of them, he was the one he had to worry about. It felt like crashing, all of the sudden all the pain rushing over him like a wave, burying him underneath until he drowned. He couldn't bite back the pained groan, slowly trying to open his eyes again. He saw the Kid a few meters away from him, tail paint scratched, covered in dust, eyes red and shiny.

"Blade!"

The desperate cry, so full of hope, pulled Blade back to reality for good. _Don't cry... I'm here. You're safe._

For a moment Blade just ignored his pain and rolled over to the shaking plane. The Kid’s eyes grew wide as Blade just nuzzled close, trying to be as much comfort as he could be in their current situation. For both of them. He needed the Champ close right now, needed to feel his warmth and his corebeat, he needed to make sure that he was there...

After the initial shock, the plane just nuzzled even closer, his wings brushing Blade’s tail, and simply cried.

"Don't..."

Blade didn't have the strength to put everything he was feeling right now into words, and even if he had, he wasn't sure there were any words to describe it. He just didn't want to see his Champ cry, no matter how justified it was. He tilted a little, his rotors now embracing the plane, and began to soothingly rub his head with them.

"It'll be alright."

"I-I thought you were..."

Another sob cut the sentence off and it pained Blade to see the plane so hurt.

"I'm fine, I promise."

The SEAT just shook his head, the sobbing becoming more vigorous. There was nothing he could do, so Blade just stayed close, from time to time rubbing noses and just tried to be there for the plane, tried to coax him into stopping. It seemed like forever until the sobs started to quiet down, but for the first time, Blade didn't mind. He almost enjoyed being so close to the Champ and part of him would have been fine if they never moved at all, but with time, they were getting low on oxygen. They would have to get out of this shaft, better sooner than later, and so Blade slowly backed up, the Kid completely calm now.

"We have to get out of here before we run out of air. Stay back..."

Before the plane could protest, Blade already threw himself at the debris that blocked the entrance. The moment that his body impacted, he had to bit back a scream, a wave of pain rushing through his left side, his injured side. There was not enough room to turn around, and there was no way that Blade would let the Kid try, he was way too fragile for this kind of thing. _I’ll just have to cope._ And so he threw himself at the debris again, ignoring the pain as best as he could. Again and again he tried, slowly the pain was becoming unbearable and the dust and ashes that his actions released made it even harder to breathe. Blade could barely keep his eyes open, but he couldn't give up. _I have to find a way. We need to get out._ Finally, Blade felt the debris give in, giving him new strength. _I’m almost through, just a bit more..._ And the next few attempts finally broke through. Coughing and panting, trying to catch his breath, Blade slowly rolled forward. _Air..._ He felt like he had never breathed before, and the first breath full of fresh air felt like heaven. Behind him he could see the SEAT roll out, equally coughing. But instead of some sort of relieved exclamation like Blade had expected, he only heard a shocked gasp from the plane.

"Blade..."

It took him a moment to realize that the plane hadn’t known the amount of damage before and now that he could see it, was shocked at the extent. His rotors were bent, out of shape but still functional. The fire had eaten its way through his once red paint, had burned parts of the metal beneath to a point where it was white, and had left the rim of that white spot pitch black with grime. He was pretty sure that his side was out of shape and still a bit bubbly as well, but he didn't dare to look. It would only worsen the pain. He couldn't allow himself to dwell on that right now. _We are still in danger, and we’ll only be safe once we get back to base. For now that is first priority. The pain will have to wait._

"Fairway meadow should be clear..."

He had to cough, his throat way to dry and sore from the ashes that he had breathed in.

"We'll take off from there. Let's go."

The plane shot him a worried look, but for the first time this day, he followed his order without hesitation. The meadow wasn't far, only a minute of driving on the ground. It hurt to see the once so beautiful place completely destroyed. Nothing was left, no grass, no flowers, no bushes, and the trees had completely burned down, leaving empty, black sticks as a reminder of their former beauty. It wasn't recognizable anymore. All that was left were burned trees and dirt. But for their purposes it was enough. _I’m sorry. I know it’s not much of a runway but seeing how our current condition doesn’t give us many options, I think this will have to do._ He didn’t trust his voice, so it stayed unsaid, but it seemed that the SEAT had understood him anyway. Smiling as reassuringly as he could muster, he made his way to the end of the meadow. When Blade saw the SEAT start his engine, he unconsciously prayed that nothing would go wrong. He almost couldn't watch, but the Kid made it, now safely flying in the air. Seeing him safe up there, Blade felt his anxiety fade and the pain grow stronger. _Argh, come on. Now’s not the time..._

Grinding his teeth he started his rotors, slowly lifting up. The moment his wheels left the ground, he knew that it wasn't going to work. The pain turned into an inferno of agony, burning through him and with a deafening shriek of metal and a loud rumble, he felt his rotors fail. Desperately trying to stay in the air, he was only spinning around for a few seconds, before his engine gave out for good. He felt himself fall but he couldn't really progress what was happening. He didn't even panic, was just frozen in shock as he came crashing down, eyes wide. He only was able to comprehend that he was crashing when he felt his body hitting the ground at an angle it was definitely not supposed to. He didn't even feel the pain, he just felt his eyes fall shut and the last thing he heard, before being washed away in the darkness for good was a desperate scream.

"BLADE!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How'd you like the change in POV? Was that a suitable scene for what happened in the mine? What do you think?  
> I'm sorry it's a bit short, the next one will be longer.


	10. That's why...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next one.  
> Enjoy :)

He had already had that bad feeling when he had seen just how injured the helicopter really was. _I should have listened to my intuition, can’t I do anything right?_ The shriek of metal tore right through his core, leaving it racing with pain and fear. He heard a crashing sound and felt his core drop. _No..._ Dusty turned around in the sharpest curve he could muster without crashing and what he saw made his fluids run cold.

There, on the ground, was Blade.

"BLADE!"

No response. Dusty felt himself panic. _Blade just chrashed!_

"Patch, come in! This is Crophopper Seven. Patch, COME IN!"

 _Why isn't she responding?! Blade is dying down there!_ The seconds of silence felt like hours and when Dusty heard Patch respond, worry flooding in her voice, he just wanted to scream.

"I read you Crophopper Seven-"

He didn't even let her fininsh, there was no time. Every second could be Blade's last!

"Blade is down, I repeat, BLADE IS DOWN!"

Somehow saying it out loud only made it worse, it made it so real, and Dusty just wanted to crash down and cry.

"I'll send Windlifter to respond."

With that Patch was gone and left Dusty alone. He felt tears streaming down his face as he landed again and hurried to Blade’s side. He was way too cold.

"You can't die Blade! YOU CAN'T! I can't lose you Blade, please. Please hang in there, they're on their way. Windlifter will come and he will bring you to Maru and Maru will fix you up because he's the best there is and you'll be better than new and everything is going to be alright again and-"

Unable to continue over his crying, his sobs were the only sound that broke the silence and Dusty was almost glad to hear them. He couldn't bear silence right now. _This is all my fault! You shouldn’t have trusted me to go with you, I shouldn't have betrayed your trust! I'm sorry Blade, but please, LIVE! I can't lose you, I just can't. I should be the one lying there, not you. You don't deserve this, all you did is protect me and now..._

"Blade..."

He could only whisper his name, his voice too worn out from the events of the day. In the distance, he heard an engine. Windlifter was coming, a harness attatched to him. _So that's what the waitlifting is for._ Dusty welcomed every thought that did not revolve around Blade, no matter how absurd, irrelevant and out of context. Windlifter didn't say a word, he just lowered the harness and somehow managed to get Blade in it. Dusty just took off again, he wouldn't just stay here, he would stay by Blade’s side. He couldn't get himself to look away, silent tears still running down his nose. The silence was almsost painful and Dusty would have given anything for the green helicopter to make some sort of sound other than with his rotors, but he remained silent and Dusty didn't dare speak a word.

The minutes until they reached the base stretched endlessly and Dusty was beginning to hate time. Then, finally, they reached the runway. The entire crew was out waiting, worry radiating off of all of them when they saw their chief. Dusty went ahead, landed and quietly made his way to the side. He was sure that he was not welcome amongst their little circle right now, but he couldn't bring himself to go away, his fear for Blade way too strong, so he just watched from the distance. Maru was rolling forward, expression serious and ready to get to work.

"Okay, that's good. Slow, slow..."

Windlifter slowly set Blade on the ground, staying in the air to wait until the harness was untied.

"Careful... Good, we're good! Pinecone, get those straps off."

Dusty envied the forklift for his calm right now. He just got more and more panicked with every second. _Please, hurry!_

"Avalanche!"

"YES?"

"Push the ramp alongside the access panel and be careful!"

Before he realized it, he found himself next to Cabbie, watching Maru roll up the ramp. He couldn't just watch from the distance, he had to see what was happening.

"He- he'll be okay, right?"

The question had left his mouth before he could stop it, but to his surprise Cabbie wasn't mad, he simply answered.

"It's bad, but, ah, Maru... He's the best there is. He'll make him better than new."

_Oh how I want to believe that. You have to be right, You have to!_

Maru was now up on the ramp and studied Blade’s side for a second before yanking a panel open, only to gasp in horror at the sight. Dusty just wanted to die right there and then.

“His hydraulics are completely fried, he's losing fluids! I gotta get him back to the garage, fast! Dynamite, tow hook!"

"Coming right up!"

"I'm gonna need hydraulic fluid from the shed."

"COPY THAT!"

"Blackout, we'll need another generator, try the main hanger."

"I got it."

"And get another heat lamp!"

With that Maru rolled off the ramp the Smokejumpers hurrying around him to complete his orders.

"His surface burns are bad but the interior damage isn't terrible. As long as we move quick, we got a good chance."

 _A good chance? As in 'this might not work'?_ Dusty felt his fluids run cold, shock pulsing through him. _What if Blade never wakes up? What if Maru can't do it? This is all my fault._ His panic turned into despair as he watched Dynamite pull Blade into the garage, Maru following and, as soon as Blade was in and Dynamite out, shutting the door.

The entire team was silent, all eyes on the garage door, all worried sick. It made Dusty feel even worse. _You've been together for years, you're their teammate, their chief, part of their little family. I'm just the intruder and now you crashed because you were trying to save me. Me of all people. Not once did I give you a reason to like me. I lied to you, I didn't listen, I was being completely selfish and now I'm not even paying the price, you are! I should be in there right now... You should have just left me there._ The thought hurt like nothing else.

Dusty just wanted to curl up and cry, but he knew that he had no right to do so. The image from not even an hour ago, where the two of them had still been in the mine, nuzzled close, shot through his mind and Dusty felt a strange longing. He wanted to be this close to the helicopter again, wanted to hear his soothing words, feel his warmth, but he knew that after today, that would hardly ever happen. If for some weird reason Blade would decide to finish his training and certify him, they would stay instructor and student until it was done and then he would go home. And then he would never see Blade again. He was going to lose him, if he had not already lost him, and it hurt. But the worst part was that it was entirely his fault. _If only I had never come here... Maybe it would be for the best if I just quit._

He forced himself to avert his gaze from the garage door and, unnoticed by the rest of the team, made his way to the runway. _I'm sorry Blade..._ Again he felt tears run down his nose, when he looked at the beautiful sunset in front of him that he would never get to see again, and again he didn't care. He just wished that Blade was here with him right now, shooting him a glare that said 'Don't you dare giving up now.'

"If you give up today, think of all the lives you won't safe tomorrow..."

He only realized that he had whispered the words out loud, when he suddenly heard Windlifter behind him.

"So, Blade has taught you his big motto. He doesn’t do that unless you really need it. What happened out there?"

For a moment, Dusty was too shocked to answer. This was the most that the green helicopter had ever said to him without falling back into his cryptic native sayings and stories. The look on his face right now could even have scared Ripslinger away. Dusty just gulped before looking the green helicopter directly in the eyes. He took one deep breath and then he tried to answer without showing just how emotionally wrecked he was right now.

"I- I was... I didn't..."

It didn't work. He just felt the tears escape his eyes, especially at the thought that Windlifter was second, and therefore right now first, in command. _Will you send me away?_

"A wise old man once said, that the wise will only share their wisdom when they see that their student is worthy of it. Blade wouldn't have let you stay this long, if he hadn't thought that you would make it. Don't you dare prove him wrong, not like this."

Towards the end, Windlifter's voice sounded almost threatening and Dusty quickly nodded, showing that he understood. He was just glad that Windlifter didn’t throw him out and for now, gave him another chance. _Maybe, just maybe, Blade will too. I won’t dare to hope, but I won't give up just yet either._ He only would when Blade told him face to face that he would have to leave. Only when the helicopter gave up on him, he would too. _I swear!_

Dusty had been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice that he had started to roll towards Blade's hangar. He only realized where he was, when he almost bumped into Maru, who was closing the hangar door behind him. They both just stared at each other for a second, before Dusty's mind understood what this meant. _Blade is either safe or..._

"How is he?"

He didn't do a very good job at hiding his fear, and Maru, of course noticing it, shot him a questioning look, but nevertheless gave him an answer, sighing.

"He's resting now."

"Hhm."

"I've done everything I can."

Dusty couldn't help but sigh. It was by far not the worst thing that Maru could have said, but still not what he had been hoping for.

"Do you think he's gonna be-"

Suddenly Maru's expression changed from exhausted to dead serious and he didn't even let Dusty finish, he just cut him right off.

"Look Dusty, don't blame yourself."

 _How did you..._ It didn't matter. The point was that he was the one to blame, even Maru had acknowledged that with his little statement. Dusty knew that Maru had meant it entirely different, but he just couldn't help it. _This is my fault, no matter what anyone says, if I had done anything differently, none of this would have happened._

"Argh, he should have left me out there."

Dusty truly wished Blade had. _I would have deserved it._ Maru was gently leading him away from the hangar, shooting him a sad smile.

"Nah, that is not Blade’s style. Especially since... what happened to Nick..."

_What do you mean?_

"Nick? You mean Nick Loopin Lopez, from the TV show?"

 _What happened to him?_ Dusty got the feeling that this was something very personal, especially when Maru led him into his garage and closed the door behind them. The conversation from a few days ago, when the rest of the crew had shown him 'CHoPs' and they had their little discussion about why Blade left Hollywood, suddenly came up in his mind again. _You know the reason, don't you Maru?_ Before Dusty could wonder why Maru knew and still had told no one, and more importantly, now was about to tell him of all people, the forklift began.

"It was just a routine day on the set and Nick was... He was doing his trademark loop for a stunt scene, but there was this fierce crosswind..."

Maru began putting the toolboxes that stood in front of the down right corner of the wall of fame aside and what Dusty saw then made him freeze. There, on the wall of fame, the wall that you would get your picture on when you crashed, died, was a picture of Nick Lopez. He wore his ChoPs paintjob, smiling in the camera, and looking like he had just gotten the most beautiful gift of the world. In the left corner, he could see a little text. Rolling closer he was able to read it and when the words reached his brain, he had to hold back a silent cry. There, written in Blade's handwriting, was Blade's catchphrase that he had always said to Nick during the show. 'Good move, Partner'. He was beginning to understand...

"Blade was the first one on the scene, but... he didn't know what to do. His best friend was gone. And Blade thought his life was over too."

_Blade..._

’Life doesn’t always go the way you expect it.’

_You didn't just lose a friend back then, did you? You lost so much more... No wonder you would risk your life to save someone, even someone like me. I'm so sorry Blade..._

"But he didn't give up. He got trained, got certified and came here. Blade..."

Dusty heard Maru chuckle, and for a moment he was intrigued to ask what could possibly be funny about this tragedy, but he didn't.

"He used to pretend to save lives. Now he's saved some for real."

 _Including mine..._ He felt a single tear slide down his face. For the first time, he felt like he understood the helicopter, if only a little bit. He understood why he was the way he was, so closed off. _You're afraid of getting hurt again, you're afraid to lose someone again. That's why you frame to be an ice block. That's why..._

"The others don't know, do they?"

Maru simply shook his head, giving him a meaningful look.

"Then why...?"

"Because you're important to him. I thought it would be best if you knew."

Dusty felt his core beat faster at Maru's words. _Important..._

"You should go now. The others will probably start looking for you..."

Dusty nodded, forcing himself to look away from the picture.

"Thank you..."

"Don't thank me, just don't make me regret this."

"I promise, I won't."

_I never would._

With that, the door fell shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Blade is still unconscious and I didn't want to skip this part, Dusty's POV it is. Besides, it's fun to write out of more than one perspective.


	11. Dusty!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is, the chapter we've all been waiting for. I did my best trying to express Blade's feelings for everything that happens and personally, I think I did a good job at it, though writing something like this is hard if you haven't experienced a similar situation yourself. Let me know if I did okay.  
> Hope you had a nice third Advent.  
> Have fun with my second favorite chapter.  
> Enjoy :)

The first thing he noticed when he woke up, was that the pain was gone. For one terrible moment, he thought that he was dead, but then he opened his eyes and felt a wave of relief wash over him when he saw the familiar sight of his hangar. _Thank Chrysler. As much as I love you Nick, I don't want to join you, not yet._ When he realized what he had just thought, a dry laugh escaped his lips. _Wow, I must be in worse shape than I thought when I can think of Nick in this situation..._ His mind was only slowly awakening, a bit like an old computer that needed hours to reboot. He kept lying on his sleeping mat for a few more minutes before he tried to get up. The first few attempts failed miserably, Blade still being way too weak, but with every passing second, his strength seemed to return. Finally, he was up and the first thing he did, was look in the mirror. His left side didn't look much better, still burned and white and black, but at least he couldn't feel the pain anymore which meant that Maru had yet again performed a miracle. Blade knew that he had just barely escaped his death this time.

Then he remembered the Champ. _Chrysler, how could I forget?! I have to see if he's okay!_ Blade knew that the chances of the SEAT having gotten hurt were rather small, but he couldn't help but worry. When he exited his hanger, he was shocked to see it was dark outside. _Just how long have I been out?_ And then he noticed... _Wait a minute, this is way too quiet. Where is everyone?_

"Maru, where is the team?"

His voice was shaking, barely able to contain his rising fear. _If they are really out there, with the fire still going, there is no telling what will happen..._

"Something came up. The exit got blocked by the fire so they had to go out to extinguish it so that the evacuation could proceed."

"Load me up, I'm going!"

"You can't Blade. Despite the fact that you just woke up after crashing, there is no retardant left and something is wrong with the main line, so we can't make new one."

"You send them out there without retardant?!"

Blade felt his tanks turn. _This is bound to go wrong..._

"How long have they been out there?"

"Twenty minutes. If nothing went wrong they should be back every minute now..."

_If nothing went wrong?! Maru do you even know what you said just now?_

He could only growl at Maru, but before he could tell the forklift just how much he hated him right now, he saw something in the distance nearing the base at high speed.

"Told you."

Blade just ignored Maru and rushed to the runway. He had to see for himself that they were all safe and unharmed. But before he could so much as greet his team, he felt his core drop what welt like a thousand kilometers.

"Where is the SEAT? WHERE IS HE?"

Panic washed through him. If the Champ wasn't there that could only mean that...

"Two RVs are trapped on the bridge at the Canyon. He's there to rescue them."

The first thing that Blade could think was that he would kill each and every one of them for letting the SEAT go alone. Then the meaning of the words sank in. _The Falls!_ Before anyone could stop him, Blade was in the air and on his way. Never had he flown the way this fast before, he felt like his rotors would melt from the friction, but he didn't care. _Just don't let me be too late! You have to be still alive! Champ..._ All around him and as far as he could see, there was nothing but fire. It was consuming everything only leaving behind a sea of destruction that one could so easily drown in. _Faster..._ When he finally reached the Falls, he didn't even have time to really akwoledge the scene. All he could see was the burning bridge, falling apart. The RV that was sliding down, barely holding on, the second RV desperately trying to pull her up.

"Harvie, Harvie don't let go!"

"Winnie, it'll be okay!"

 _Hold on, I'm coming!_ Blade almost let himself fall, going into a fast dive until he was within reach, releasing his hoist, throwing it and catching the female at her tire, just as she was about to fall.

"Argh."

They were heavy, and Blade was still not up to full strength, but he had to hold on until the SEAT came and hopefully extinguished the fire that was blocking the way. _Wait a second..._ Just now Blade realized, that he couldn't spot the plane anywhere. _Champ, where are you?_ Panicking again, Blade looked around as best as he could in his current position, desperately looking for his little plane. _Come on, show up already! You have to be alright, you simply have to!_ Slow agonizing seconds that felt like hours passed and with every one of them Blade's urge to just crash and die there and then grew. _Champ..._ Then he saw him. He was coming through the Canyon, just like he had in training, and just like in training, for a moment Blade was mesmerized. Only that this time, he didn't back off. Blade watched wide-eyed as his Champ went under the bridge and pulled up, flying straight up the Falls. And then he felt his core swell with pride as he saw the plane release his scoops and scoop the water off the waterfall. _Only you would be crazy enough to get an idea like this..._ But it worked. The SEAT flew over the edge, through the smoke, and for a second, he was gone, only to come down in a 170-degree dive, right towards the bridge. _Only you could pull this kind of stunt..._ Within a second, the SEAT had cleared the bridge, and, barely in time, Blade was finally able to pull the two RVs to safety while the bridge completely collapsed underneath them. He didn't take his eyes off of the Champ for one second though. _That was beautiful..._ He watched the plane turn and fly towards him, saw the unsure expression of the Kid and didn't even try to hold back his smile.

"Dusty!"

He saw the plane's eyes widen and only then realized that this had been the first time that he actually had called him by his real name.

"Good move partner."

The words had left his mouth before he even realized he was going to say them. For the first time, it felt right to use that phrase again. He had thought that it had been exclusively for Nick, that it had died with him, but now it just felt right. He couldn't think of anyone who was worthy of it more than Dusty was. _Partner..._ He had just proven that. Blade felt his core beat faster when he saw the Kid returning the smile with soft eyes and for a second he thought that he saw tears sparkle in them. Somehow he got the feeling that the Champ knew just how much that sentence meant.

For one perfect moment, the world seemed so beautiful. It felt like nothing could destroy that feeling in Blade and he was ready to accept it, done with fighting his own emotions. But before he could say anything else, all of the sudden, he froze. He heard the shriek of metal, suddenly remembering what he had completely forgotten. _Your gearbox!_ The familiar sound paralyzed him mid-air, rendering him unable to move, unable to do something. _NO!_ He saw the smoke that came from the plane’s nose, he heard the alarms, quiet in reality but deafening to him. _Please!_ No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he was screaming at his brain to do something, he couldn't move. **_MOVE!_** The sight before him was simply too familiar, tearing open old scars, that Blade had wanted to forget forever. All he could do was watch helplessly as the SEAT lost control, doing a few barrel rolls while going towards the woods at rapid speed. He saw him hit the trees, heard the terrible sound of tearing metal and felt something inside him break. "CHAMP!" He heard the scream without realizing that it was him who was screaming. All that mattered was that it snapped him out of his trance, that he could move again, do something, but it was too late. Blade felt tears rise in his eyes as he rushed towards the bent and broken trees, still in shock.

“Dusty...“

There, on the ground, surrounded by broken trees and bushes, lay his Champ. Completly bent, one pontoon missing, wings looking like they had been through a tornado, completely broken. The image burned itself in his mind, in his core, and he was no longer able to hold back the tears. _I promised I would protect you... This is all my fault!_

"Dusty! Don't do this to me. I can't lose you too, not now, not ever! Please, hang in there. Please _don't_ leave me."

With that he broke down sobbing, clearing the space around the plane from debris and nuzzling close. _No warmth..._ It hurt, it hurt so terribly much to see him there, but the worst part was that, yet again, there was nothing Blade could do. Again, he was losing someone. Again, a loved one was dying at his side...

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

He just wanted it to stop, wanted the pain to go away, wanted to scream until it was gone and the world was okay again. Only that it would never be okay again... _Not without you in it..._

At some point through his sobbing and griefing, Blade must have called the base, because not soon after, Windlifter suddenly was there with his harness, shooting Blade a sympathetic look before trying to get the completely out of shape plane into the straps. Blade didn't even care anymore if his team saw him this way, so he did have emotions and so he did care, so what! The whole world could have crashed, to Blade it wouldn't have made a difference. His world was already crashed, shattered into little pieces, just like the plane in front of him was. And this time, Blade was sure that not even with the help of his friends he would never be able to fix it again.

Blade didn't really notice himself putting the harness around his Champ, didn't really see the sun slowly rising as they flew him back to base. He didn't really care that his team was a mess when they saw Dusty, didn’t care that he was a mess, even though he should have been there to comfort them. He just couldn’t be the strong one right now. He heard the clank of an oil can as Maru literally dropped everything he was doing and came speeding, a shocked expression on his face. Blade didn’t even try to hold back his tears anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. It was almost like he wasn't there anymore. He wasn't feeling anything, except for the heavy pain in his core and hadn't it been for that, Blade would have thought that he had died.

It was dead silent, no one daring to speak, as Maru brought the plane to his garage and got to work, not even muttering to himself, showing just how serious this was. For once, he didn't close the door, and Blade got the feeling, that even Maru was emotionally affected by this. _Out of all people... How did we all get so attached to him? How did you do it? I've known you for a week and I already can't imagine living without you... I've-_ His core stopped beating for a second as he realized what he had been about to think and his eyes widened in shock. _Did I really become that attached to you?_ The answer was yes, without a moment of hesitation and it scared the living hell out of Blade. The plane had snuck its way into his core, something that no one had been able to do unless he had known them for years, and again snuck its way past the friendship line, a place that no one except Nick had ever seen and now it _belonged_ to him. When he realized that, he just burst into tears again, watching Maru work, just like the others. No one seemed to notice, no one seemed to care, and so Blade just stood there, quietly sobbing, breaking inside with each passing second and finally seeing, just how much Dusty really meant to him. Somehow in the nine days that he knew him, Blade had fallen in love with him. And the worst part was, that he couldn't bring himself to deny it.

_It just can't be... Why did this have to happen? Why him? Why me?!_

Blade didn't know, would probably never find out, and just as he was about to just scream in a desperate attempt for it all to go away, he suddenly saw Nick before him. In his mind he saw everything that had happened all over again. From the very beginning, when they had first met, over them becoming friends, best friends, falling in love up to that terribly wonderful day when Blade had realized how much he saw in Nick. The day where he just suddenly had yelled 'Holy tractor, I'm in love with you!', too shocked about his realization to notice he had thought out loud. To make matters worse, they had been in the middle of shooting a scene, leaving the entire crew staring at him like he was some sort of freak. Nick had just burst into laughter back then. He had shot Blade a smirk and yelled back 'The core wants what it wants, don't even try to deny it.' and had gone on with the scene as if nothing had happened. It was one of the few times, where Nick had put his funny self aside and had let his deeper, caring self shine through, even if he hadn’t realized it at the time. And Nick had been right, he still was. Blade had fallen in love with this plane, and no matter what he did, that would not change anytime soon. It still hurt.

                


After that realization, Blade had left the space in front of the garage. It hurt way too much to see the plane in there, especially knowing that it was his fault he was in there in the first place. _I knew about your gearbox, I knew what would happen when you went to max torque. I could have done something, I could have caught you when you fell instead of just flying around like a good-for-nothing idiot. I could have saved you! And I didn't! I promised to protect you and look how well that went. And now, NOW, after I’ve lost you, I realize that I love you?! Chrysler damn it, what kind of chief am I? What kind of friend am I?_

He just wanted to curl up and keep crying for the rest of his life. Maybe then the pain would go away... _Who am I kidding, I of all people should know that falling into a depression won't help._ It was like Nick all over again, some sort of sick deja-vu, and he could almost hear Maru scolding him, just like he had back then. 'You know better than that! Could you have saved him? Yes, you could have. Did you save him? No, you didn't. Is lying around on your sleeping mat and crying like a baby going to change anything? No, it is not! So stop being such a crybaby. Yes, the world isn't all cupcakes and rainbows and bad things happen, but life is ten percent what happens and ninety percent how you react to it. Now you can either stay here crying and griefing until you drown in your tears, or you can get up, go out there and make a difference! Nothing can break you Blade, only you can...' Those had been his exact words and even though Blade had hated the medic for them at the time, in his current situation, he found them strangely comforting.

Blade almost had to chuckle at that, a few tears still running down his nose. Maru had yet again been right. _Yes, Dusty crashed. Yes, I didn't do anything to prevent it. No, I will not just sit around and cry like he’s already dead._ _Dusty is still alive, and Maru is a magician when it comes to rebuilding. If anyone can fix you, Maru can._ _Just wait Dusty. Soon, you'll be better than new..._

The somewhat comforting thought made Blade relax long enough to realize just how exhausted he was. He had almost forgotten that he had barely escaped his own death only a few hours ago. _Talk about a terrible day..._ He was still worried, tears were still running down his nose, but he wasn't terrified anymore. He felt his eyes slowly fall shut and the last thought before sleep overmanned him was, that tomorrow everything would be better again. At least he prayed it would.


	12. He's awake!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 12  
> Enjoy:)

Sadly, the next day when Blade woke up, he found that the plane’s condition hadn't changed. He had almost raced to the garage as soon as he had woken up, not even surprised to find out that Dipper had stayed there all night, only to see Dusty, still bent and broken, still not moving, still not awake. He felt his core sink at that. He had known that the chances of the plane being awake were small, the damage was too severe, but he still had hoped to see him smile again. And even if the plane had a reason, the longer he was out, the more dangerous it would get. _Even I haven't been out this long and I have been in pretty bad shape. This isn't good at all._ _Dusty... Please don't give up._

"I got time for a shower if you need it..."

Blade jumped when he suddenly heard Maru in front of him. The medic gave him an understanding look, laying one of his lifts on Blade’s side and slowly rubbing it in comforting circles.

"You knew all along, didn't you..."

"Ah, I got to know you quite well over the years Blade. It wasn't that hard to see. Besides, only a blind person would have missed the way you look at him."

“I guess I’m blind then...“

Quietly chuckling Maru moved on to patting his nose, like a mother would do with her child, causing Blade to snort.

"Gee thanks..."

"Anytime Blade, anytime."

Somehow, despite the situation, Blade managed to smile. Somehow, even now, Maru was able to cheer him up. And he had never been more grateful for that than now. Somehow, Maru just always knew the right thing to say and to do and even if it made no sense to others, to an outsider it must have looked rather stupid, for Blade it was like a safe zone.

"Ahm, not to interupt you guys in whatever it is you're talking about, but hello! Injured racer, right here! Would you be so kind and stop chatting so you can actually FIX HIM?!"

Dipper seemed more than tense and Blade couldn't blame her. It was very worrying. Besides, even if by some miracle Maru got Dusty fixed and he woke up, there was still a high chance that he would never be able to fly again. For a plane, especially a racer, that was a fate worse than death. Blade had seen planes crash on purpose, rolling off a cliff or something, after they lost the ability to fly. It was nothing that he wanted his Champ to ever go through. Dusty was strong, he had proven that, but even he would break at that. _I don't even know what I should hope for you anymore. Maybe it would be best if you just... NO! Blade Ranger, don't you dare!_ He felt tears stinging in his eyes at the thought that were soon runing down his cheeks, unable to stop them. _What if the reason that he’s still out is that he doesn’t want to wake up? What if he never will?_

"HEY! No crying in my garage, I'm trying to work here."

Blade knew that Maru just wanted to help and since it wouldn't exactly be appropriate for the forklift to spray his chief, at least not in the company of others, even less when in the middle of repairs, this had to do. Blade just nodded and turned around, not being able to bear the sight any longer. It hurt too much. _I should have protected you like I said I would... I'm sorry Dusty. I promise when you wake up I'll be better. Who cares if I have feelings for you. I promise I'll try and be a good friend. That is if you even want me to be a friend after all of this..._ Somehow, Blade had managed to think of something that hurt even more than the previous thought. _Wow, amazing, good job Blade! I can't be an emotional mess right now, it's enough that everyone else is!_

"Oh for crying out loud, are you serious?"

Blade jumped when he suddenly heard Windlifter behind him, not having expected the Sikorsky to suddenly talk to him.

"Chrysler, Wind! You gotta stop doing that! And what do you mean?"

"Blade, I'm not stupid. Anyone who knows you would be a fool not to notice."

_Are you implying that Dipper is a fool? And that the Smokejumpers and Cabbie know too?_

"She's head over wheels in love, of course she doesn't notice! And Cabbie and the Jumpers just haven’t spent that much time with you since Dusty came. Otherwise, they would know."

"Stop reading my mind!"

"Blade, if you want to be the ice block that you tried to pretend to be, then you have to work alone. You can't close off forever, at some point there will always be someone who can see right through that. Now stop drowning in self-pity. You are Blade Ranger for crying out loud! Stop crying and start trying. You haven't lost him yet Blade. Don't make the situation in your head seem worse than it actually is."

Blade was speechless. Not only had Windlifter just revealed, that apparently he and Maru had known even before he had, but also that he was supportive. Normally it was pretty frowned upon to fall in love with another built. Plus the age difference and the fact that they did not seem to get along that well. _Wow..._ Blade sighed heavily, before nodding and giving Windlifter a grateful smile.

"Got it. Thank you Wind... I needed that."

The green helicopter just gave him a playful rotorbump before smiling back, his expression saying ’I could tell’. Others might have found them weird, but to Blade, his team was the most special and precious people in the whole wide world. No one would ever be able to top that. Feeling a bit better, Blade made his way back to the garage, Windlifter following closely and again, most of the team just stood there and watched Maru work.

The medic had made quite a bit of progress with the wings. They still were bent, and the left wing still had gaping rifts, but at least you could identify them as wings again. Blade felt a bit of relief wash over him. _Maru is the best of the best. He can do it._ _By tomorrow I'm sure he'll be awake._

                


He wasn't. When Blade had gone to the garage the next day, he found the wings completely fixed and Maru working on the pontoons, but the Kid was still out. It was the same the day after, Maru now having moved on to the most complicated parts: The engine and of course, the gearbox. With each passing hour that the plane laid still in Maru's garage, Blade's worry grew again. And with it grew the pain. By the end of the fourth day, Maru had fixed everything except the gearbox, and Blade was beginning to lose hope.

_Four days... It's too long. Where are you right now, Champ? Please come back to me..._

“Blade, what are you doing with that... oh.“

Blade almost expected Maru to take the picture away from him, but the forklift just rolled close and pulled him into a hug.

“It’s okay Blade...“

Somehow the gentle words hurt more than a scolding would have. His tears were slowly dropping on the picture in front of him. The only picture of Dusty that they had. The plane was looking pretty startled, not having expected to be photographed. In the background, Dipper and Windlifter were loading up and Blade found it hard to believe, that all of that happened only five days ago. It seemed like forever.

“I’m scared Maru... I almost couldn’t handle putting Nick up here. I just can’t...“

“Then don’t.“

_What if I have to..._

He was frustrated, and deep down terrified, as the idea of the plane never waking up became a very real possibility. And despite everything that Maru and Windlifter did to try and comfort him, Blade spent the fifth day in his hangar on his sleeping mat, crying all the tears he could in a desperate attempt to make them wash away the pain. Of course it didn't work. If anything, it made matters worse. It only resulted in giving him a headache in addition to the constant ache in his chest that only grew the more he thought about it. He was beginning to give up. _You won't wake up, will you Champ?_ He didn't even have enough strength to cry out in pain anymore. He felt like a part of him was dying, together with the plane. _Yeah, the core that you stole..._

On the morning of the sixth day, Blade didn't even want to open his eyes. He had dreamt that Dusty had woken up, that everything was alright again, only to be made aware that it was all just a dream. A dream that might never come true. One single tear slid down his face as the by now familiar pain rushed through him, and in that moment, Blade made a decision. He was done with crying! _If you're going to die, the least I can do is live._ 'No one can break you Blade, only you can' _You’re right Maru, and I will at least try not to break just yet!_ The bit of strenght that the thought gave him was enough to get up and rolling to the door. Reaching it was the end of it though. _Who am I kidding, I'll never be the same again._ _  
_

Letting out a shaky breath and slowly opening the door, still contemplating to just stay inside, he suddenly heard Maru shout through the base. It took him a second to fully realize what he was shouting, but then the words sank in. The words he had thought he was never going to hear...

"HE'S AWAKE!"

For a moment, just to be sure this wasn't just another dream he would be cruelly awakened from, Blade slammed his nose into the door, only to wince in pain and a second later beam with joy as he rolled as fast as his wheels let him, over to the garage. _Thank you, thank you, thank you!_ A part of him was still not able to believe that his Champ had woken up, after five days! And then he saw him, still looking a bit drowsy, but eyes open and a smile on his face. Blade just wanted to tackle him right there and then, but he managed to stop himself before he could do it, hiding his immense relief behind a rare smile.

"Morning Muddropper."

He had to grin when he realized that he had instinctively used the nickname that he had given his crew. If there had been any doubts whether or not Dusty was a part of this team, they were hereby eliminated. His grin grew even wider when he saw the plane slowly roll down the ramps and come towards him, still a bit shaky, but moving.

"How long have I been out?"

_Too long..._

"Five days. Dipper stayed by your side the whole time."

Blade had no idea why he said that, maybe he just couldn't think straight through all his relief and happiness, but at the same time, the startled, almost panicked expression on Dusty's face when she rolled close and whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear, that she liked watching him sleep, was priceless. _Yeah, I would feel uncomfortable too right now..._ He had to bite back his laughter and just shot the Kid another grin. In that moment, Cabbie and the Smokejumpers came speeding, somehow just now being informed of Dusty's awakening. Before there could be any more 'Welcome back to the world of the living' celebrations though, Patch suddenly announced the superintendent coming.

For a second, Blade instinctively tensed up, until he remembered the short notice he had gotten about Cad being fired and replaced by Ranger Jammer. His mind had been so fixated on Dusty, that he had completely forgotten. Relaxing again, he watched the old car, followed by Pulaski, Rake and Andre come to a hold right before his Champ who looked rather confused at the sudden change of events.

"Well, you had us worried, Dusty. Glad to see you're out and about."

_Oh yes, I agree..._

"You are the superinten... What happened to Cad?"

This time Blade couldn't help the snort that escaped him. _That selfish idiot finally got what he deserved._

"Yeah, sprinklers saved his Lodge, but not his job. Secretary of the interior did the right thing. Put ranger Jammer here in charge."

"YAY!"

_You took the words right out of my mouth._ Everyone broke into cheers after Avalanches exclamation and Blade joined in. It was a damn good reason to be happy about. For one moment, again, the world seemed perfect, until Windlifter suddenly cut the cheering off, shooting Maru a questioning look.

"Maru, did you tell him?"

_Tell him wha- Oh._ Realization hit him hard. He had forgotten about the gearbox, again. _Does this mean that Dusty will never be able to..._ He didn't dare finish the thought. It caused too much pain and fear.

"Ehm..."

"Tell me what?"

_Dusty..._

"Well, I replaced your prop, repaired the damaged wingribs, hammered out what damage I could, yeah, even got your pontoons back on, but your gearbox..."

Blade felt his core shatter at the sad but understanding look that the plane was giving Maru. It was terrible...

"I know, thanks for trying Maru..."

For one moment it was completely silent, and Blade was close to just throwing all caution in the wind and roll over there to hug the SEAT. He desperately wanted to provide some sort of comfort for the plane, especially since his current condition was partially his fault. Then Maru suddenly started grinning and Blade found himself close to punching the forklift in the face instead. _What could possibly be funny about someone’s life being ruined?!_ But before he could do anything, Maru simply shouted,

"You're welcome."

For one moment, both Blade and Dusty were speechless. Then the plane took the words right out of his mouth.

"What?"

_Maru, if this is your idea of a joke, it is not funny!_

He saw the confusion, the hope and the fear in the plane’s eyes and swore to himself he would make Maru's life a living hell if he dared to crush that hope.

"Cause you’re fixed!"

And again, they both were speechless. _Why didn't anyone tell me?!_ It didn't matter. All that mattered was that Maru had made the impossible possible. Dusty was fixed, completely!

"What, really?"

Blade felt his smile return. This day couldn't get any better! _Maru I could kiss you right now!_

"Yeah, that was the hardest thing I've ever done. You've got yourself a custom-made epicyclic concentric reduction gearbox."

"A... A new gearbox?"

Blade had to chuckle when he saw the mechanics almost insulted expression.

"No, it's better than new!"

_I’m sure it is._ Blade could see the happiness radiating off the plane and he felt the exact same way. Now there was only one thing left to do. With a proud smile, Blade rolled forward, locking eyes with the plane and, if possible, smiling even wider.

"Crophopper, I'd say you’ve earned that certification."

And then, there was no stopping the cheers, the Smokejumpers surprising everyone with suddenly having a fully organized party going, to celebrate both the fact that Dusty was still alive and that he got certified. Blade didn’t try to stop it, on the contrary, he couldn’t think of a better reason to celebrate. _After everything that happened, you deserve it Dusty. We all do._ Blade couldn’t remember ever being happier, especially since Nick crashed. _Maybe, just maybe, now everything will finally be alright again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you still enjoy the story as we're nearing the end of the events portrayed in the movie. I did my best trying to show what Blade was thinking during those five days that Dusty was out. Did I do okay? Also regarding the order of Maru's repairs, he, of course, took care of anything fatal first. After Dusty was stable he went on with the easier things because he needed a break from having to fix dangerous injuries.


	13. Be safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas you all. This story is slowly coming to a close. Most of what's coming now is from my own imagination. Hope you like it.  
> Enjoy :)

It didn’t take long for the Jumpers to convince Maru to open the fuel storage and soon everyone had gotten themselves a can of high grade, with the exception of Dipper, who had had enough of that ’devil drink’ as she called it. Even Blade had thrown his ’I’m the chief so I don’t have time for fun’ attitude away. Especially after Jammer, Pulaski, Rake and Andre had gone back to the Lodge. The moment that it was just his team and him, Blade had given up on the charade. Not that he had done a very good job at holding it up anyway, he had been way too happy for that. Even now he almost couldn’t believe that after five days, the plane had finally woken up.

“Aren’t you extra happy today... I don’t think I can remember the last time I saw you smile like this.“

Blade just chuckled and shook his head. Maru was right, but it had been forever since he was so happy that all his worries were completely forgotten. Like they didn’t even exist, his world was perfect right now and this time, he wouldn’t let anything take it away from him. At least for a little while, Blade just wanted to enjoy his life.

“Well Maru, none of you have given me a reason to smile over the years.“

He saw Maru’s expression change for a second before a smirk crept on his face and he suddenly scooted close, his face only centimeters away from Blade’s nose.

„Are you sure...“

For a moment Blade really thought that Maru was serious, but then the forklift burst into laughter, pulling Blade with him and so they just stood there, laughing until Blade was almost crying. _Man, you scared me for a moment there, please don’t do that again..._ He wasn’t able to say it out loud, unable to stop laughing, but Maru understood anyways, giving him a playful nosebump before bringing some distance between them, still smirking.

“I’m sorry Blade, but it was way too tempting. Should have seen the look on your face, priceless!“

“Glad I could amuse you.“

And he meant it. Maru had managed to bring a smile on his face so often, he was glad he could return the favor for once.

“Oh I’m not the only one...“

It took Blade a second to understand what Maru was implying and when he did, Blade spun around, having a bad feeling about this already, and what he saw made his core stop for a second before beating twice as fast. There, watching from behind them, were Windlifter and Dusty, Wind just raising an eyebrow and a grin on his lips while the SEAT just stared, wide-eyed. Utterly mortified Blade tried to say something, explain what just happened, but he hesitated a second too long, which led to Maru explaining instead.

“Oh Dusty, I’m just kidding, don’t worry, he’s all yours...“

“Maru!“

_Argh, can’t you ever keep your mouth shut?!_ For one terrible moment Blade felt himself drown in panic. He had just realized his feelings, he was not at all ready to let someone else know. The fact that Maru and Wind had found out was already bad enough and simply unfortunate, but Dusty...

“Don’t worry Blade, I know he’s drunk. You should see what my friend Chug ’reveals’ about me when he’s drunk. He told the press that I had an affair with my coach once and let me tell you, that did not go well. So I’m used to crazy drunks...“

The plane smiled at him reassuringly, and Blade, who could see the honesty in his eyes, allowed himself to relax again. Even though he doubted that Maru was actually drunk, he was a solid drinker and simply liked to mock people, Blade was glad that he could use that as an excuse. And also as an opportunity to find out a little more about the Champ. He just now realized that, apart from what Mayday and Dipper had told him, he hardly knew anything about him.

“Well, that’s interesting. How’d you get out of that?“

The plane blushed a bit, looking rather embarrassed.

“I didn’t, at least not on my own accord. They sent an undercover reporter to find out the details and he eventually found out that, of course, their informant was wrong. Thankfully. I don’t know what I would have done otherwise.“

Somehow the thought hurt. _Would it really be that bad to have people think you’re in that kind of relationship? Is it that unthinkable for you?_

„Would it be that bad for your image to have people think you’re in a relationship with your coach? Or is it the fact that you’re not exactly the same built? Is that a problem with racers? I mean a plane is a plane, isn’t it?“

“Chrysler no, that’s not what I meant! Sure, some people would frown upon it if I suddenly had a relationship with, I don’t know, a truck. But hey, they also frowned when I first started racing. I’m a crop duster, or at least I was, so the general norm doesn’t exactly apply to me anyway. Besides, I don’t need them to tell me I’m doing things right, I can make that decision for myself, regardless what they might say. It was simply the fact that we were just friends and all of the sudden, people were asking if we had wedding plans. My parents showed up and congratulated us and wanted to know when they would have grandchildren. No one would believe us when we told them we were not a couple. They thought we were denying it because we were scared of rejection or something, so they started to give us gifts and reassuring speeches to come out, and even were organizing some sort of celebration for us, I think they planned a wedding, but then the reporter finally confirmed that we were not a couple, before they could actually finish whatever they were doing. It simply was the most awkward thing that ever happened to me and if it hadn’t been for that reporter, I probably wouldn’t have gotten out of it. They just wouldn’t listen.“

_Chrysler, Dusty... I don’t know if you realized, but that is actually the first thing that you ever told me about your personal life, if you don’t count that discussion with the gearbox. Well, it beats what the rest of the team had for their first stories, even Windlifters anecdote about Kayori._ Blade couldn’t help but smile, almost laughing. He had no idea what Dusty’s coach looked like, so picturing the situation was kind of hard, but still, if you were just a bystander, it must have been pretty hilarious.

„How did your town react after they found out?“

“Most of them felt pretty bad, some are still apologizing whenever they see me and we still reicive some apologize gifts, and of course there are a few that still think we’re together. But they keep it to themselves, so as long as no one makes wedding plans for us, we’re fine. It’s still awkward sometimes though. You don’t just forget something like that.“

“I can imagine. Back when I was still with ChoPS, there were many friends who were shipping me and Nick. That never got as intense as you just described it, but I can kind of relate.“

For a moment, Blade saw the planes expression change, he almost looked sad, but before he could ask, the SEAT smiled at him and nodded. _Something’s not right, that smile wasn’t real..._ But Blade didn’t want to push his boundaries by asking too many questions. They’ve only known each other for a short period of time, not even two weeks, and even though Dusty seemed like the kind of guy who made friends easily, Blade hadn’t exactly tried to form a friendship with him until now. Whatever little conecction they had was still fresh and could break at anything that he did wrong. He wasn’t going to risk it, it was just too valuable.

„Hey, what are you two doing over there all by yourself, the party’s over here. You’re not being a meany, are you Blade?“

Apparently, the Jumpers, and to Blade’s surprise Cabbie, Windlifter and even Dipper, were drunk by now. Gladly not to the extent where anything would get damaged or anybody would start fighting imaginary oil cans, but enough to be a lot more open than usual. The sun was beginning to set and for a moment, they just stood there and admired the sunset. Hadn’t it been for the rest of the team celebrating rather wildly in the background, it would almost have been romantic.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?“

The plane beside him nodded and for a few minutes, they just stood there in silence, watching the sun set behind the mountains. Blade could have stayed there for all eternity, the moment was just so perfect. The sun was reflecting on the Champ, giving him a beautiful shaded glow and it made his eyes sparkle in the most wonderful way. Blade just wanted to freeze the picture in his mind, wanted to remember it forever. _It’s just so beautiful._

“Should we go join the party? I mean, since I’m kind of the reason for it happening in the first place, shouldn’t I be at least there? Besides, this is my last evening with you guys, I might as well have some fun while I’m still here.“

The words made Blade’s mood sink. _That’s right, you’re certified now, so you no longer need to be here..._ He had completely forgotten about that. He didn’t really notice, but his expression must have gone sad, because a second later, Dusty was nuzzling him, giving him an affectionate nose rub.

“It’s not like I’m going to be out of the world. I just need to officially become Propwash’s second firefighter to get it reopened. We don’t exactly have many emergencies and what little we get, Mayday can handle perfectly fine on his own. We’ve been fine for decades, it’s just for the formalities.“

Blade had to shake his head at that, smiling again but still not as happy as he had been before. The plane was right, Mayday had told him the same, but still that wasn’t exactly the attitude that a firefighter should have.

“Don’t let Ryker hear that...“

Dusty laughed at that, giving Blade a bump with his wings. It warmed his core. At least they hadn’t scared the plane away with everything that happened. Blade wouldn’t have blamed him if he had just left right away. He was all the more glad that Dusty hadn’t.

“You know, you guys should come with me. The cornfestival is this weekend, and I’m sure people would be interested in an aerial presentation. I mean you don’t have to, I understand if you’re too busy, but I just thought that maybe it would be nice. I could show you where I live and stuff if you’re interested...“

The plane sounded like he was just thinking out loud, the idea probably just now struck him and he had said it before thinking about it. Even though Blade didn’t know him that well yet, he got the feeling that that was something that Dusty just did. _But the idea isn’t that bad_. _After that fire, we all deserve a break and since the park is still closed and most of it is burned down already, the fire danger is small. It’ll be fine to take one day off, and even if there happens to be a fire, I trust Pulaski to handle it._

“Sure, why not. I’m pretty sure the others would like to have a vacation and the Jumpers never miss a chance to show off what they can do. And I’m sure Dipper would be thrilled to see your home...“

He had to laugh at the plane’s groan. _At least now I know that she will definitly not be a danger. I wonder what you would say if I told you I’m pretty intrigued to find out how you live as well? Would you be mad?_ He shook his head at the thought. The plane wouldn’t have invited them if he found them a burden. At least he hoped so.

„Okay, cool. Then I guess we’ll see each other soon.“

„Stop talking like you’re already leaving, you can at least stay for tonight, right? You said it yourself, you should be present...“

Blade was half joking, but for a moment he really had thought that the plane was about to just leave. He received another wingbump as an answer before the plane turned around and headed towards the little party, only to be almost crushed by a drunk Dipper who was eager to try and kiss him. _Okay, I might want to rethink the ’no damage’ part..._ Again, he felt his tanks twist at the sight, but this time it wasn’t jealousy. He had pulled her off of Dusty with his hoist before he even realized that he was about to do it, and for a moment he thought that his reaction had been too harsh, that he had given his secret away to the rest of the team, but gladly, they were too drunk to notice. Even Dipper just giggled and then went on as if nothing had happened.

The only one who was still kind of sober beside him was Dusty, who shot him a thankful look before being pulled into a conversation with the Smokejumpers. Blade just watched, slowly drinking his high grade, their conversation still lingering in his head. When they came to Propwash, he would have to thank Mayday. _We might not have had the best start, but in the end, I’m glad that you came, glad that Mayday asked me to train you_. Mayday’s words crossed his mind and he had to smile at them. ’One of the bravest people I know, and one of the kindest souls there is.’ _It might have taken me a while to see it, but now I know exactly what you meant. And I couldn’t agree more._

                


After their little party was over, mainly because Blade, as the only sober person, had ordered everyone to bed, everything just happened so fast. Blade had gone to sleep, he had woken up the next morning and had found the Champ on the runway, ready for takeoff. Even though they had talked about it at the party and somewhere, in the very very back of his mind Blade had always known that the plane would eventually have to leave, he was just now fully realizing that their time together was officially over. No more training runs, no more yelling, no more not listening to orders on the plane’s side, but most importantly, no more time together. _I can’t believe it’s really over, it all happened so fast..._ The thought sent his mood spiraling down as the plane stood on the runway shot him a soft, almost apologetic, smile.

“I didn’t want to wake any of you guys from your well-deserved sleep and since you’re coming to the festival this weekend anyway, I thought that there was no need for long goodbyes. You are coming, right?“

Somehow, for the first time, Dusty had read him, had read the unasked question why he hadn’t said goodbye, and also read the silent answer to his question. _Of course we’ll come, it’s going to be the last time that we see each other for who knows how long. Still, it’s not like I want hugs and kisses, it’s just that it would have hurt if you had just suddenly been gone..._ And while the circumstances were completely different, Blade was sure that the plane vanishing out of his life as sudden as he had entered it, would have felt like Nick. Losing him to the world out there most certainly should never be compared to losing Nick to death, but still it would have hurt.

While Blade fought his inner debate Dusty kept his gaze on him and for a while, there was not a single word said. After what felt like an eternity, the plane cleared his throat, breaking the somewhat awkward silence that Blade’s thinking process had established.

“Well, I better get going. The sooner I get home and do all the paperwork with Mayday and Mister Rykerrrrrrrrrrr, the better.“

Blade had to grin at the way the Champ had pronounced the TMST agent’s name. _The exact same looong way that Ryker usually does when he is talking. You even got the tone and pronunciation right, good enough to shame an actor_. For a while, they just stood there, Blade quietly chuckling and the plane eventually joining, never taking their eyes off the other. At that moment Blade wanted nothing more than to give the plane a nuzzle, but at the same time, he was sure the Champ wouldn’t be too happy about that, the fear of rejection pulsing through him. The last thing Blade wanted to do was upset the Champ, especially since this might be the last time that they saw each other. The thought hurt, but Blade knew that overall Piston Peak was not likely to have left a good impression on the plane. _In your place, I most certainly wouldn’t come back..._

“Well, I’m going to miss you guys...“

Blade could have sworn that he heard the plane’s voice crack a little but chose to ignore it to save the other the embarressment if he had misheard. _I’m going to miss you too Champ. You have no idea how much..._ And before he realized, his emotions got the better of him and he nuzzled close after all, giving Dusty an affectionate nose rub. They stood there like that for a few minutes, none of them wanting to move out of the comfort that the other provided, enjoying the warmth and the tender touches way too much. Blade’s core was racing at the feeling of the warm metal rubbing against his, giving him a little bump from time to time. It simply felt wonderful, as close too any sort of romantic involvement as Blade would ever get, and he wished that the moment would never end. It just felt too nice to be that close, close enough to feel the others corebeat, almost as fast as his. But like all wonderful things, the nuzzle had to end at some point. After a while Dusty gently detached himself, bringing some distance between them, before turning towards the runway again, an almost sad expression on his face, but still smiling.

“I really should get going now. They’re all waiting for me at home...“

Blade saw the plane hesitate for a second, his expression turning somewhat unsure, as he continued while starting his engine.

“Thank you Blade, for everything...“

And with that he took off, leaving Blade with no time to ask what the plane had meant and a very fluttery core.

“Champ! Be safe!“

It was the standard goodbye for firefighters, but Blade really meant it. Not so much the flight home, but the work that would await him as the only aerial firefighter in probably the next 20 towns around. _There could be quite a lot happening, you never know... Anything could happen and if you crash somewhere where vehicles can’t reach you, then you’ll die and..._

_Wow Blade, way to go, screw yourself until you actually believe that’s going to happen. He’ll be careful. His town needs him, so he wouldn’t risk dying..._

Blade simply ignored the fact that the town had needed Dusty already when he had crashed after the waterfalls, and clung to the hope that nothing bad would happen in the first place. After all, Mayday said that they didn’t get many emergencies. _That’s right, there’s no need to worry. He’s not stupid, he’ll be alright._ So Blade watched him go, flying towards the rising sun, his orange paint slowly becoming unrecognizable between the colors. Before getting completely out of sight, the plane turned his head one last time, and even in the distance, Blade could see his beautiful smile, and even though the plane would never see it, Blade smiled back. _Have a good trip Champ, and be safe. I’ll see you on the weekend._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of the Skipper story? It was a spur of the moment idea


	14. We're all so proud of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have officially reached the end of the events of the movie. After this there will be one more chapter left.  
> Enjoy, as the story comes to an end :)

The days until Saturday went by surprisingly fast. The Piston Peak Air Attack, just as predicted, had nothing to do and so it hadn’t been a problem to get them all a spare day to go to the Cornfestival. Although Blade was trying to keep his cool, he was getting more and more excited about this trip. Not so much about the festival itself, though it was probably worth seeing, but more about getting to know the place that the Champ lived at, getting to know his friends, his team, especially that coach of his, and most importantly seeing Dusty again. He felt his corebeat increase just at the thought of the plane, accompanied by a small sting. He missed having him around. The base was a lot quieter without him, which shouldn’t have been possible considering that the Smokejumpers, especially now that they had nothing to do, left nothing undone to achieve the exact opposite. They could be real devils with their pranks, especially when they were bored, and more than once Blade had been the victim to mud buckets over his hangar door, manipulated oilcans that either had soapy water in it or spilled their contents all over the unlucky opener, pretty much anything up to tying his hoist to the door in his sleep. He still had no idea how they did that one, but he had the sneaky suspicion that Maru had assisted them. The forklift hadn’t exactly looked surprised and simply burst into laughter when Blade called him for help the next morning. And he was only on the light receiving end. He did not want to know what Cabbie was enduring right now, and if the exhausted and sometimes straight out annoyed expressions of the former soldier were any indication, he could really count himself lucky it was only that.

Blade almost winced as he heard a rather loud scream echoing through the base followed by a rant of curses in so many languages that Blade didn’t even try to understand the profanities. _Speaking of the devil..._ His concern growing, he made his way over to the runway, where the scream had come from, and found Cabbie, surrounded by giggling Smokejumpers. At the first sight, everything appeared to be alright and Blade was about to ask for the reason of the commotion when he looked down at the plane’s tires and immediatley had to bite back a laugh himself. Cabbie’s tires were glued to the ground and, no matter how hard the former soldier tried, simply wouldn’t come loose. Blade remembered that being part of one episode of ChoPs. Nick had been delighted to tie him to the ground like that, and Blade remembered the awkward feeling all too well, but he had to admit that it was fun to watch. The only difference was that for him, it had been special glue that dissolved after 20 minutes. Cabbie probably wouldn’t be so lucky.

„Do I want to know what glue you used or keep believing that this is just a harmless prank that will dissolve within the next 10 minutes?“

If the fact that a plane as big and strong as Cabbie couldn’t free himself from it was any indicator, it was not going to be the latter. The Jumpers only confirmed his suspicion as their looks were slowly turning from cheerful to worried, to guilty to pleadingly looking at Blade and silently asking for help. _Oh for crying out loud, now I get to clean up the mess you’ve made? Maybe think about the consequences the next time you pull a stunt like this!_ And even though he grunted in annoyance, Blade couldn’t bring himself to get mad at his jump crew. The Jumpers hadn’t intended any harm, they simply hadn’t thought about the consequences of their prank enough. They were still pretty young and despite the fact they could be very annoying, Blade would always love his team, no, his family just the way they were. With all their good and not so good qualities, it simply was what made them the people that they were. Sighing, he released his hoist and threw it around Cabbie’s front tire, lifting up in the air and pulling for all he was worth, Cabbie going to max torque, but they weren’t getting anywhere close to loosening the tires.

„What in Kayori’s name happened to you?“

„Windlifter, just who I need. Do you mind helping?“

 For a moment the green helicopter looked taken aback at the almost pleading voice of his friend. The Smokejumpers winced at the defeat they could hear in their makeshift fathers voice, and Windlifter simply turned around, as usual expression barely changing though Blade could swear that he saw a grin, and got his harness. He didn’t say another word as he attached it to Cabbie, the Smokejumpers taking tow hooks to help pull, and together they finally were able to free Cabbie from his glue trap.

„Whew! Never again! See how you find your way to Propwash now, I’m not going to carry you!“

Cabbie almost managed to sound angry, but the fact that his eyes still had that loving gaze that they always had when he was talking about his ’kid’s’, gave him away. The fact that Avalanche started yelling apologies all over the base, the others rapidly joining, was still rather amusing and almost cute to watch.

„WE’RE SORRY!“

„We didn’t know this was going to happen, please don’t be mad.“

„Please forgive us.“

„We meant no harm!“

„Besides, we got you free...“

The fact that they were all talking at the same time was making it hard to understand anything that they were saying, but what little Blade could make out was enough to bring a huge smile back on Cabbie’s face, as he scooted forward and gave each of the Jumpers an affectionate nuzzle, calming them down again.

„Just don’t do it again, okay?“

Enthusiastic nods and a „WE WILL NOT!“ from Avalanche were enough. _Well, now that that’s done and dealt with, we should get going. It’s a few hours to Propwash and I want to spend as much time there as possible. It’s going to be the last time that I get to see Dusty in person for who knows how long. I don’t want to waste any of it._ Blade felt a smile form on his lips at the thought of seeing the cheerful plane again. His core just wouldn’t let him be the Chief today, today he simply was Blade, the caring and loving friend, and Blade was actually looking forward to it. _It has been way too long._

„Well, are you all ready to go? Blade, can you give me a ride? Cabbie, Wind, what about Patch?“

Maru came rolling, yawning and balancing a coffee cup on his lifts while shooting the three a questioning look. The last few days, Maru had practically not left his sleeping mat, catching up on the sleep that he lost while working on Dusty for five days without a break. The fact that he was drinking the coffee that he made, his tasted terrible enough for even him to hate it, was clearly showing that he still was tired. Patch, who had been talking to Dipper somewhere at the side, was now joining the conversation at the mentioning of her name. The question of who would go with who was dealt with rather fast, Patch went with Windlifter and Blade would take Maru, and as soon as Maru had finished his coffee which took him three attempts to not spit it out again, they were taking off with the forklifts safely strapped to them and headed towards Propwash Junction. _Here we come!_

The winds were soft, gentle and making flying rather comfortable. The sun shone above them, the sky was blue with only a few white clouds, long story short: It was a beautiful day for flying. And that wasn’t all, the flight itself was really beautiful as Blade had to admit, admiring the scenery and changing countrysides. Soon his thoughts traced off to his Champ again, as he automatically pictured him racing through the rock formations and the trees on the ground, chasing the winds and catching the clouds. He had never seen him race but he was pretty sure that that would be what it looked like. He would literally be chasing his dream, every single race would be a dream come true, or at least that’s what Blade imagined.

_I wonder if that coach of yours is one of those clingy types that act as if their racer is the only one with talent in this world. I mean, you are talented, even I can see that and I haven’t even seen you fly with a fixed gearbox yet, but there are others too, right?_ From the little anecdote that Dusty had told him, all that he knew was that the two of them had to be close enough to be mistaken for a couple, which was really close and a lot closer than to Blade’s liking. He knew that prejudice was not at all appropriate in this situation, especially since Dusty had told him that they were not a couple, but he couldn’t help it. He was jealous, without even knowing the guy. He didn’t even know what that plane looked like, he didn’t know the tiniest bit. _Blade, you’re acting immature! I’m behaving like an idiot..._ A frustrated sigh escaped him. He was worrying about a problem that wasn’t even there, at least not yet. _Just get to know the guy, then you can still decide to hate him, but at least you’ll have a reason then._

„Do I need to ask Wind to drop water on you?“

„Will you ever let that go?“

„Not as long as you keep spacing out with that melanchonic border to mad look on your face. What is it this time?“

Somehow, before Blade could answer that, he suddenly heard Windlifter radioing the tower, and he just now realized that they were there. _Propwash Junction..._ Cabbie and Dipper landed on the runway while Blade and Windlifter stayed high enough in the air to leave Maru and Patch enough space to unhook themselves and get to the ground safe, bevor landing as well.

„Wow... This place is...“

„Small?“

The entire crew jumped at the sudden intrusion of their conversation by a, to most of them, stranger. Blade however just started grinning before rolling forward and giving the old fire truck a tailbump.

„Mayday! You’re looking good. I take it that the ’refurbishing’ was successful?“

He could see the grin form on the fire trucks lips as he just spun around, showing off all his new gear.

„Great to see you’re better now. Mayday, I’d like you to meet my team. The big guy over here is Cabbie, heavy lifter. He carries around our Smokejumpers; Dynamite, Blackout, Drip, Pinecone and Avalanche.“

„HI!“

„This is Windlifter, the excited plane over there is Dipper. And those two are Maru, our mechanic, and Patch, our radio commissioner. Guys, this is Mayday, the guy that’s responsible for sending Dusty.“

_In more than one way..._

„Great to meet you all. That’s quite a team you’ve got yourself there Blade.“

„Yeah, we’re awesome. By the way, where’s my Dustykins?“

The sudden question of Dipper made Blade realize that indeed, the plane hadn’t come to meet them. That was bad, considering the fact that Blade didn’t want to waste any time with the plane not being there. _I came for you, so show up, please..._ Before he could lose himself in his, he had to admit rather childish thoughts, he suddenly heard an all too familiar engine above him. By now he’d recognize it anywhere.

„Ah, he’s out training with Skipper. Wanted to make up for the lost time.“

And in that moment, Dusty came down, emerging from the clouds, engine running at max torque as he raced over their heads. It all happened so fast that Blade didn’t even manage to call out to him, he only felt the wind rush over his rotors and felt himself getting mesmerized by the way the plane flew. _So beautiful..._ Dusty went into a spiral climb only to go down in a barrelroll again, turning in a radial-G and coming back towards them. Closely behind him, there was an old corsair, chasing him, closing in on him, but never quite passing him, as the plane went into a loop to turn around again. _So that’s the coach..._

„If you keep flying like that, you’ll be number fifty-one in no time!“

„Oh yeah? Why don’t you try hitting me then?“

„Because I’m out of bullets, now concentrate.“

„Come on Skip, I’ve only been gone for two weeks. No need to torture me...“

„Oh I know plenty other and way more enjoyable ways to torture you. Trust me, this is just basic training.“

„Nenenenene.“

„Oh, so you want to play baby now, fine...“

And with that, the corsair suddenly went closer, both of them were climbing and their bellies almost touched, their noses only inches apart. Blade could see their smiles, the affectionate gaze, and the picture burned itself into his mind. He had never seen Dusty laugh like this, hadn’t seen him this happy, not even when he heard that his gearbox was fixed. It was almost like he was an entirely different plane. The real him, the one that was happy with his life. _The one I never got to know..._ But most importantly, he saw just how close Dusty and Skipper really were, saw the reason why people believed they were a couple so easily. _I’d think it myself if Dusty hadn’t told me that it isn’t true. And I’m starting to doubt he was telling the truth..._ What he felt in that moment wasn’t quite jealousy, it was more like a feeling of resignment, a realization, something that he would not be able to change. It didn’t sting, it was more like a heavy coat of sadness that was rolling over him and pulling him into the ocean of loneliness, because that’s exactly what he felt right now. Lonely...

„Come on Blade. They’ve known each other for what, years? You’ve technically only know him for a bit more than a week, the days where he was out don’t count, and half of that time you spent avoiding him and being an iceblock. Of course they’re close, that’s his coach, they naturally spend time together. What did you expect?“

_What_ did _I expect?_ Blade didn’t know, but most certainly not this. He watched the two planes part, both breaking into laughter and turning towards the runway. Subconsciously Blade straightened his posture and put on his chief expression. The time for loving Blade was over, it was time to be the one in charge again, or so he thought...

„Blade!“

Only that his stern expression didn’t stand a chance at the exited Plane suddenly throwing himself at him, seemingly out of nowhere, giving him a quick nuzzle.

„You came...“

He was already turning around to great the others, all of them got a quick nuzzle, but Blade was pretty sure that Dusty still heard his „Of course we did, I promised you...“ even though he didn’t manage anything more than a whisper. Beside him he could hear Mayday chuckle and it pulled him out of his trance. He just now realized that he had been standing there wide-eyed, mouth slightly open and seemingly frozen, staring at the plane. Pulling himself together, Blade really looked at the Champ for the first time, instantly noticing that he had gotten a new paintjob. Red, white and a bit of black, colors of the fire brigade. _My colors..._

„Suits him, doesn’t it?“

„Yeah, it does...“

Blade didn’t even notice that it was Skipper that he was talking to, he just answered, way too caught up in the feeling of pride that he felt wash over him at seeing Dusty in his colors. Now, he really was one of them.

 „Glad to see that Dusty has gotten himself some friends over there. To be honest I wasn’t too happy with him going at first, I mean you guys have a dangerous job, but it looks like you looked out for him pretty well. He’s never looked better than now and it’s always good to see him smile.“

Behind him Maru was coughing, whether from laughter or sarcasm Blade didn’t know, possibly both, but Blade had to agree with him. _I haven’t exactly done a good job at keeping him safe._ But the fact that Dusty seemed to have kept that bit to himself somehow lifted his mood. It was something between them, between the firefighters. Something that they shared, where others had no business of intruding, not even his coach...

„Blade, is that a smile I see on your face?“

„What do you think, Champ?“

His smile only grew wider as the plane beamed at him, once again scooting close to give his side an affectionate wingbump, and even Maru’s cheering and Dipper’s „Aw, that’s so sweet.“ In the background couldn’t bring him to stop.

„It’s good to see you again. It’s kind of quiet up there without having to yell at you all the time.“

„Hey, I wasn’t that bad...“

„Dusty, is there something I should know? You didn’t cause any trouble that we should know about, did you?“

This time, Maru straight out burst into laughter, barely able to contain himself, even as Blade shot him a glare.

„He’s been, ha ha ha, the best, ha ha, trainee Blade ever had, HA HA HA...“

_Zip it Maru..._ Of course, the laughing made it rather unbelievable, so Blade didn’t blame Skipper for not believing it. Luckily, before he could ask any further questions that would have led to some awkward answers, Ryker suddenly showed up out of nowhere. As usual, his expression was cold and stern as he began his endless long speech about Artikel 3657 Section 4 Subparagraph 3, the reopening of the airport, and Blade could see just how proud the plane was about having made that possible. He wasn’t the only one, all around them people had gathered and were now cheering and congratulating Dusty, all of them wearing grateful and proud smiles. And Blade, Blade was prouder than he ever felt before. _That’s my SEAT!_ Just as Blade was about to give him a tailbump and congratulate again, a fuel truck raced past him and came to a hold in front of Dusty, beaming at the plane, a forklift following close behind.

„Dusty, I won, I won! Guess what, they crowned me official Corn Colonel!“

„And I'm his private Niblet!“

He could see Dusty’s smile soften at the sight of his friends and Blade had to admit, that they were just as diverse and crazy as their team, a crazy little family.

„Can I wear my official head to your race next Saturday?“

„Absolutely Chug. As long as the boss here will give me the day off.“

Both Blade and Mayday simultaneously grinned. _You’re one of a kind Champ. Of course he will..._

„Anytime.“

„Okay, Niblet. Time to hit the festival.“

„Sir, yes Sir!“

And with that, the ’Colonel’ drove away and the small crowd, slowly dispersing, followed them. Blade saw the rest of his team go too, they came to enjoy the festival after all, but he couldn’t go just yet. Now it was only him, Dusty and Mayday, and just as Blade attempted to congratulate Dusty again, Mayday unknowingly cut him off before he could start.

„Oh Dusty, we are all so proud of you.“

And he was taking the words out of Blade’s mouth.

„Thanks Mayday.“

„What you did for me, for all of us, I want to thank you.“

„You don't have to thank me...“

„Yeah, yes, yes I do. To do what you did, it takes a special kind of plane.“

„And I couldn’t think of any plane more special and fit for this job than you. Not every plane would have been able to do what you did, especially not under your conditions... You really should be proud of yourself because, Chrysler, Champ you deserve it.“

He could see the plane’s eyes widen, and Blade instantly regretted ever having put up the ice block mask in front of him.

„He doesn’t just say that just to anyone, you know.“

„Trust me Mayday, I know... Blade made that clear from the very first second we’ve met. Praise has to be earned.“

_Oh did I..._

Blade had to chuckle at that.

„And you did.“

Both, Mayday and Blade answered simultaneously. _You were willing to give your life if it meant rescuing those two RVs. If that doesn’t deserve praise, nothing does..._ Blade scooted close, his nose only inches apart from Dusty’s, his core beating like it wanted to come out of its casing.

„You’re part of our team now, you’ve earned it and you’ll forever be welcome at Piston Peak. Never doubt yourself.“

And before he could lose his courage, he closed the space between them and gave the plane a quick noserub. It was a common gesture among friends, but to Blade it was almost too much. He didn’t even take a second before pulling away again and flying off, core still racing in its casing, and went to search for the others.

„Get the others, we’ll meet in half an hour on the runway, for the presentation!“

Blade barely heard it, but the back of his mind registered the information and so he began circling over the festival. His team, as they all were rather unique compared to most of the guests, was easy to spot. They all had crouched around a food stand, what else, and were ordering deep fried corn. Maru was the first to notice him, making a comment about his dumbfounded smile, and Blade only smiled wider, almost grinning which earned him a box of deep fried corn that the Smokejumpers threw at him.

„Who are you and where’s our grumpy chief?“

„He died.“

„Maru!“

„What, you haven’t smiled this often within 24 hours since I know you, which is by the way 36 years, and I’d say that’s solid evidence about your... Let’s call it crashed self, having died.“

Except for Windlifter, who of course somehow knew, the team just stared at Maru in confusion, but Blade understood very well what Maru was talking about. He hadn’t noticed, but he really hadn’t been this happy in a long time. But to say that a part of him died wasn’t right. Nick and all the happiness and pain that came with him would forever be a part of him. It partially made him the person he was. He wasn’t as cheerful as now all the time, but he had stopped being depressed a long time ago. Now Nick was just a part of his past. Long gone but never forgotten. _I never could…_

„I’m kidding, Chrysler, Blade. You should know better than to take me seriously out of serious situations.“

„I sure should, but you have a habit of creating that believable atmosphere around your words.“

„Was that a compliment?“

_Maybe?_

Shaking his head, he left the question unanswered and turned to the rest of the team, motioning them to follow him.

„It’s time for our little presentation, are you all ready?“

„You bet we are.“

Dipper was the loudest, accompanied by the Jumpers and Cabbie, Windlifter just nodded. Maru and Patch made their way over to the spectators stand and Blade could already see Dusty waving on the runway.

„Then let’s get airborne.“

_For one last time._ And with a lot of cheering from the Jumpers, Blade and Windlifter lifted up, Dusty took off and Dipper and Cabbie followed. Following Dusty to a nearby river to load up, Blade just had to think that today would count as a perfect day. He was together with the people he loved, all of them, doing what he loved and without any danger involved. They went down one after another, Dusty going first, to load up, which proved to be a small challenge given how windy the river was, but after a few minutes, they all were ready and turned around. In the distance, Blade could already hear the fuel truck, Chug, announcing their arrival.

„Ladies and Gentleplanes, turn your attention to the skies for today’s featured aerial presentation. The Propwash Junction Corn Fest is proud to present the Piston Peak Air Attack team and our very own world champion racer AND firefighter: Dusty Crophopper!“

He couldn’t help the pride that crept in up his core at those words. _We’re all so proud of you._ While the Smokejumpers jumped out of Cabbie, heading towards the ramps that were set up on the grounds, Blade, Windlifter, Dipper and Dusty came in from the side. It was one of the few times were Blade got to watch his team in action and fully pay attention without having to keep an eye on the fire and their surroundings. It was always wonderful to watch them all doing their job with such finesse. But soon, his glance was averted by the plane flying next to him. He couldn't help it, he automatically glanced over to Dusty, all the more surprised to find him glancing back. Again, it sent a shiver of the good kind down his tail, and they shared a small smile. It almost symbolized a new start for the two of them. _It is the first time that we fly together as friends._

In front of them, Dipper and Windlifter started their drops, going in, more or less, complicated formations as Blade followed and joined them. _I’ll leave the climax to you. You deserve it._ Around him, he could hear the ’Aaah’s and ’Oooh’s from the crowd and after finishing his drop, he couldn’t help himself but turn around and wait for the Champ to do his part. Partially it was the chief in him, partially the fact that he was freshly in love and wanted to see as much of the plane as possible, but this was special and for now the last and at the same time first time that he would get to see Dusty do this, completely fixed. Somehow, he managed to look even more beautiful than before, something that Blade would have deemed impossible, and the memory would stay with him for a long time. He felt his core tighten for a second as he saw Dusty going into the ’Crashloop’ as Blade was calling it now, and for a moment the plane seemed to tense too, but no alarms were going off and he could feel the glad smile form on his face, saw it mirrored on Dusty’s, and as Dusty finished the loop, starting his drop and passing Blade, he couldn’t help but think that now, finally, everything would be alright again.


	15. Smiling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since planes and cars have an unlimited lifespan unless an accident kills them, the age of 120 resembles 12 or something like that. The time still seems as long to them, so 30 years are as long to them as they are to us. Just keep that in mind.
> 
> Also I wanted to thank you all for reading my story. It's the first one that I ever really wrote and finished and i had so much fun while I was at it. I hope you like this last chapter of it. I'm working on the sequel as fast as I can, though it defenitly won't be up for a while, maybe a month or a bit longer though it will defenitly come. That being said, enjoy the final chapter of How it came to all this mess. I hope I'll see you again with the sequel.
> 
> Enjoy :)

Time simply flew after their little presentation. Once they had landed there had been no end to the people that wanted to congratulate or thank Dusty. Blade hadn’t thought that there would be that many people, it was almost the population of a small town and there seemed to be no end to it. At some point the Jumpers had gotten bored and started dragging them from one booth to the next, saying that they had come to enjoy the festival and not to just stand around. At first, Dipper had tried to protest, Blade on the verge of joining in, but she didn’t stand a chance against the Jumpers and Blade didn’t bother to try as well. And so it happened that throughout the day, they hardly had any chance to just slow down and spend some time with the SEAT like they had originally planned. It had been more than frustrating and Blade had tried more often than not to ditch them, Maru covering for him every time he tried to slip away, but to no avail. He’d just wound up getting lost in the crowd and being found by the crew before he could find Dusty. Somewhere around the fifteenth attempt he gave up, resigning himself to his fate, which somehow ended up with him being a dress up ’volunteer’ for the children’s booth, but he didn’t even care anymore.

_Well at least someone’s having a blast. Not that I’m complaining, I just thought- I wanted to spend some time with you. After today we’ll be gone and who know’s when we meet again, if ever. But I guess it doesn’t matter. Nothing that I can do about it anyway._

“Hey, why don’t you leave that nice helicopter alone and go dress up with each other. That would be a lot more fun than this old grumpy pants, right? Look at him. He looks pretty scary to me, I wouldn’t trust him.“

_Excuse me? Grumpy pants?!_ Before he could snap at the unknown person behind him to leave him alone, he felt  something at his side, gently guiding him away from the crowd. He was too stunned to do anything so he just let himself be led and waited for the mistery car to declare his business.

“Sorry about that, but that’s usually the only way to get rid of them and you seemed a little lost there, so I thought you might appreciate some help.“

“Had I wanted them to go away I would have taken care of it myself.“

“Well, sorry for spoiling your fun then. It’s just that you looked rather frustrated to me.“

“And so you decided to do your good deed for the day and rescue the poor old copter before he dies of frustration. How generous of you, but I’ll let you in on a secret: I’d have survived.“

“Never doubted it.“

Maybe it was his current emotional state, maybe it was that fact the truck seemed to mock him, but at the moment Blade hated him with a passion that before had only been there when Cad was around.

_Fine, you’ve had your fun. Now leave me alone._

“Chug, leave him alone. Can’t you see you’re making it worse?“

_Oh. The Corncolonel. Figures..._

Only then did he register who had spoken and immediately his anger dissipated, replaced by joy and relief.

“Sorry for that Blade.“

“All good, Champ. No harm done.“

He tried his best to battle the growing warmth in his tanks, but in the end, he was helpless and his emotions took over. It just felt so nice to be around him. _Chrysler, I’m behaving like a teenager. Next, I’m blushing every time he smiles._ The thought itself was absurd enough for Blade to silently grin and shake his head. _No, I’m not that desperate. Just in love._ Dusty’s smile widened as well and his eyes all but said ’I’m glad you’re having fun.’ And for the first time in quite a long time, Blade truly did.

 “So, those fans of yours finally let you go?“

“Not really. At some point Skipper just decided that I’d done my share for the day and from then on it’s usually ’come any closer and I’ll shoot you’.“

“Wouldn’t want to risk that.“

Dusty’s smile evolved into a small chuckle that slowly began to melt Blade’s core. _I’m being a total idiot..._ But no matter what he tried, the smile on his face wouldn’t disappear and as if that hadn’t been enough, he felt fluids rushing into his cheeks as the plane gave him a playful wingbump. _Just great, he’s finally got time and all I can do is make dumb comments and blush. What am I, 120?_ The place where the plane’s wings had touched his side were tickling wonderfully and Blade could already see himself spacing out with a goofy smile on his face. _Come on you lovestruck idiot, snap out of it already!_

“Hey, anyone up for some Popped Corn? Propwash Junction sells the best of the best, you have to try it.“

“Great idea Duster. I want to know all about your heroic firefighting experiences. You, Blade right? You really have to tell me, Dust here wouldn’t say a word. I’ll tell some stories too if you want. For example, when Dusty still was a tini tiny-“

“Hey! I thought you wanted to fetch Blade for some Popped Corn. How come Chug’s about to recite your life story?“

“Er...“

“Oh Skipper, no need to get protective. I was just trading information, right Blade?“

“Leave me out of this.“

“Aw, come on. I know you want to know, I can see it in your eyes. I’d recognize that twinkling with my eyes closed and-“

“Ahem! Guys, not that I don’t enjoy seeing you two having such a _nice_ conversation but I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave the Jumpers alone right next to the Popping-machine.“

“You left them alone?!“

For a second Blade felt his fluids run cold. The Jumpers and machines that could wreak havoc just didn’t mix, especially outside the base, so unless Dusty was aiming for the town to be overflown by popped corn or something similar, he had made a fatal mistake.

“Ah, don’t worry. I figured they were the troublemakers, so I told Sparky to keep an eye on them.“

“Thanks Skip, I kind of forgot about them. But I still think we should be getting back, who knows what they’ll do to Sparky once they’re bored.“

“As much as I’d like to defend them as their chief, you’ve got a point there Champ.“

“Well then what are we waiting for? Fastest to the Popped Corn stand will get a free bowl!“

“Chug, wait...“

“Let him be Dusty. You know as well as I do that there’s no stopping him now.“

“An interesting friend you’ve got there Champ. Is he always this...“

“Energetic? Yeah, but you get used to it pretty quickly and when you do he’s quite a lot of fun to hang out with.“

“Knowing the Jumpers, I think I can relate.“

There it was again. A distinct fluttering in his tanks, barely noticeable. _It’s been so long since the last time... I’d forgotten how being in love actually felt like. It’s kind of nice._

“Well let’s go then. I don’t think that Sparky will be able to keep both Chug and your little crazycrew under control for long.“

“Lead the way.“

It was interesting to see Dusty interact with his friends, and see them interact with him. It was so different from the way that he and the team did. _Well, no surprise there. They’ve been friends for years, we don’t even know him for two weeks!_ And still a small part of him was jealous when he saw them together. Of course there was no way of telling if Chug had been about to tell an actual story of Dusty’s childhood, but if he had been, that meant that they had known each other for that long. There was just no way to compete with that. And then there was Skipper. He seemed nice enough, but something about the way he behaved around Dusty bothered him. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to their relationship than just being coach and trainee, or even just friends. Dusty had promised that wasn’t the case, but Blade couldn’t help it, and it stung somewhere deep down. _Just stop it already. How about trusting him for a change, that’s all I need to do. He had no reason to lie to me. He didn’t lie to me!_

“Are you okay Blade? You’re looking a bit pale there.“

“I’m fine. Just remembered something.“

“So did I. GET AWAY FROM THAT!”

Of course. It wouldn’t have been the Jumpers if they hadn’t caused some kind of chaos. He was used to it, they all were, but what they found in front of them was a catastrophe, even for their standards. Where once the Popped Corn stand had presumably been, now there was an ocean of...

“What in Chryslers name is this? I’ve seen Chug temper with this thing before but he never managed to make this much of a mess.”

“THAT’S IT! YOU’RE GROUNDED AND ON CLEANING DUTY! And don’t even try to escape your punishment because I swear to Chrysler, I’ll make sure that you’re the ones in the mine next time and I won’t be there to block the flames!!!”

Maru snorted, Cabbie broke into laughter, Dipper almost jumped in front of Dusty and glared at Blade while Windlifter was simply smiling.

“You mean you don’t almost die for everyone?“

Dusty was laughing too and gave Blade a playful wingbump. Grinning he answered.

“Nope. Just the dumb ones.”

Dusty’s pretended gasp of hurt was swallowed by Chug, who somehow had managed to stay quiet so far.

“Yeah, he can be quite the idiot, right? Like when he was little and not qualified to fly yet but wanted to so badly that he rolled off a cliff?”

“He did what?”

“Oh, that’s not even the best part. When he rolled off the cliff, there was a strong wind, and somehow he managed to catch it and he actually glided all the way to the ground!”

“Not quite Chug. He glided all the way into my hangar.”

“Yeah, and there he got caught in one of the old banners. You were so scared that you practically fainted the moment Skipper was getting close to you.”

“Well excuse me for not jumping the guy that was said to have shot down 50 planes. I was 53 at the time!”

“Aw, how cute. It must have looked so adorable.”

“Yeah, I was thrilled. You should have seen the look on his parents’ faces when I brought him home.”

_Sweet sarcasm. Looks like the two of you didn’t exactly get off from a good start either._ At the thought, he felt a flash of relief wash over him, gone as quickly as it appeared. Not paying it any mind Blade turned back to the conversation.

“It’s a good thing that Dusty was so determined then. I mean where would we all be if it weren’t for Skipper being his coach.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Enough with the sweet talk. We want the dirty details, and every single one of them.”

He wasn’t surprised to hear the Jumpers ask. Of course they’d want to know everything they could. What did surprise him though, was that he wanted to know just as badly. Information like that wasn’t something one got offered every day. And Blade really wanted to know. So he didn’t say anything and just hoped, that Dusty wasn’t going to hate them afterward.

“Okay. You know, before Skipper became Dusty’s coach, I was teaching him. I had a great book, air racing for dummies, and I taught him everything he knows. Well except for a few little things but anyway, one day Dusty was just like ‘I don’t think this book can cover everything that I need to know. I need a real coach. One as cool and strong and good looking as-“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Chug. I never said anything like that. And as far as I recall you were-“

“AS I WAS SAYING, Dusty was totally keen on getting old Skipper here to show him the tricks. Dragged me over to his hangar in the middle of the night and would stop knocking until Skipper opened the door.”

“Three times I might add.”

“He wouldn’t give up until Skipper agreed to coach him, he probably would have camped outside the hangar the entire night until-“

“Okay, Chug, I’m perfectly fine with you telling stories, I know I can’t keep you from doing so anyway, but could you please stick to the original version and tell it the way it actually happened? As in you were the one who said the book wouldn’t be enough, you were the one who dragged me to Skip, and I did not camp outside the door! I gave up after the third attempt and you stayed my coach until apparently something, you never told me what by the way, changed Skipper’s mind and he came to me.”

“Oh come on Dusty, those tiny differences? My version makes it sound moreexciting.”

“I don’t care. Stick to the original version or don’t do it at all. You’re making me sound like a love-struck teenager.”

_Interesting choice of words._ The thought was gone as quickly as it came, but it left Blade feeling a bit betrayed. _Seriously, stop it._ The look Maru was giving him spoke volumes and Blade bitterly noticed, that he had to agree with him. **_I’m_** _behaving_ _like a love-struck teenager_!

“Speaking of which, there was this one time during the Wings around the globe, during the final leg. Rippslinger and his twin tornadoes were not too happy about Dusty beating them, so at a section without cameras, they tried to kill Dust. They were pushing him into the ground until Skipper came. Now you have to know, when Skip was still with the Jolly Wrenches, he had a mission, Glenval Canyon, and it didn’t turn out so well. Lots of planes died, he got hurt, all this terrible stuff that happens in a war. After that he hadn’t flown ever again, guess he was too scared or something, until that fateful day of the attempted murder. Skipper came to Dusty’s rescue, I think he had overheard Rippslinger plan the entire thing, and he flew! He overcame his fears for Dusty and he saved his life. And then he almost died because Rippslinger damaged his tailfin, but he kept on going so that Dusty could win. If that isn’t devotion I don’t know what is.”

“Now Chug, don’t make it sound so heroic. I simply came to help my trainee and correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s a coaches job, isn’t it.”

“Well yeah, but not everyone goes to such lengths, Skipper. Don’t play it down, you really were a hero at that moment. You saved my life out there. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. In more than one way. There’s really no need for modesty here.”

That stung. _Do you have to look at him like that? With those beautiful sparkling eyes and that smile? You never smile at me like that. I saved your life too!_ He knew what he was thinking was stupid before he even finished the thought. _It is only natural for Dusty to be grateful. Skipper has done so much for him. He saved his life, is his coach, made the life he is currently living possible and on top of that, he seems to be a good friend. There is absolutely nothing to be jealous about. Dusty deserves it._ He wanted to believe that, he really did, but there was still something that hurt from the way the plane practically worshiped his mentor. Slightly annoyed by the lack of control he had over his emotions, Blade just decided to ignore it and concentrate on something else.

“Sounds like you’re one of those that need saving a lot. How about I redesign your Nickname. Does Princess sound good to you?”

And when something else happened to be teasing, that on top of that got him Dusty’s attention, he most certainly wouldn’t complain.

“Solid Burn! Good one Blade, but if we’re at it, how about Crashrookie?”

“Nah, he’s definitely more the firehero type.”

“How about Mister ‘I never listen’?”

“Hey, now that’s just mean. How about you just stick with the original?”

“Well if that’s what you want you can go right back to getting yelled at all the time SEAT. Or should I say tourist?”

Judging by the confused looks that Chug, Skipper and Sparky shot them, Dusty hadn’t told them about their first encounter. For a second Blade considered telling them, but then again, it hadn’t exactly been their brightest hour and also it somehow was something personal. _Besides Champ, this Nickname belongs to me._

“Blade...”

“I’m just kidding Princess, don’t worry. I think we’ve had enough teasing for a lifetime.”

“Oh, so you call everything that happened teasing now? Guess I don’t want to get on your bad side then.”

“Believe me Champ, you couldn’t if you tried.”

“Oh, you’re on.”

“Overconfident... Still the kind of attitude that can get you killed.”

Blade didn’t know what was better. Dusty’s light-hearted laughter or the dumbfounded looks on the faces of all the others. _Priceless._

“Is there anything I should know Dusty? You weren’t causing any trouble, were you?”

The laughter around them went through the roof and Blade found himself unable to answer through the fits of laughter that were shaking him.

“No, not at all. Our little hero here was nothing but a pleasure to train.”

“Ha ha ha! Stop it Blade, I can’t breathe. Ha ha ha ha ha.”

It really was nice to laugh like this again. It had been so long since there had been an occasion for the entire team to laugh, even if it was at the expanse of one of their own. _Well, you brought that one upon yourself, Champ. Doesn’t seem like you mind all that much either._ Smiling he scooted closer and nuzzled the planes’ side, whispering for only him to hear.

“I promised you before, I won’t let you suffocate. Be it from a fire or laughter, you’re under my protection.”

“So you’re not mad at me anymore?”

“I never was.”

That wasn’t entirely true but it didn’t matter anymore. They were safe, they were happy and they were here together, enjoying the day.

“Aw, a couple in the sunset. Kiss him, kiss him, ki-“

“Zipp it, Chug!”

Blade’s cheeks were burning with embarrassment. _You just had to say something… But was it really that obvious?_ _Tell me you didn’t notice that Champ. Stop blushing! NOW!_ Thankfully Maru came to his rescue and drew the attention away from him before his blush became even more obvious.

“He’s right Blade. The sun is setting. Guys, we should really be heading home before it get’s too dark.”

“No flying after sunset, we know the rule.”

“I think it’s a little late for that. And I’m not so much concerned about encountering a fire in the dark. I don’t know if any of you noticed, but finding the way in the dark, especially when it’s unfamiliar territory, has proven to be quite difficult. We barely found it with broad daylight.”

“You could stay over tonight. I’m sure they still got some inflatable hangars. It wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Ouh, a slumber party?”

“Oh, we’re in.”

“PILLOW FIGHT!”

One glare from Blade was enough to silence them. _Even if we had the time, you just gave me a number of reasons, never to make a slumber party._

“I’d love to Champ, but we’re back on duty starting tomorrow and Ranger Jammer might not be an idiotic son of a glitch like Cad was, but he’ll expect us to do our Jobs. We really need to get going. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I guess it wouldn’t be fair to keep you to myself. Poor Piston Peak would die without you. Just promise to visit, and say hi to them for me.”

“We will.”

His voice was wavering as he scooted closer again and nuzzled the plane’s side.

“Take care of yourself Dusty. And be safe. Promise me to be safe.”

His eyes were stinging.

“I promise Blade.”

_I won’t cry._

“Oh come here.”

Dusty scooted even closer, leaving almost no space between them. Closing his eyes, Blade tried to memorize the others warmth, his smell, the feel of him against his side. It felt like an eternity that their hug lasted and Blade found himself unable to contain his tears completely. Slowly they were getting out. Quickly wiping them away, he gave his Champ one more tailbump, before bringing some space in between them and letting the others say their goodbyes. He refused to acknowledge the tears that were still trickling down his cheeks and started his rotors, with a heavy core. Maru and Patch reattached their straps and the Jumpers slowly rolled into Cabbie.

“Goodbye Dusty.”

“Be safe.”

And with that, they took off.

Blade tried not to look back as Propwash Junction slowly faded in the distance, but in the end, he turned around one last time, watching Dusty stand on the runway, paint sparkling in the colours of the setting sun. It was a sight he would carry with him in his core.

_You look beautiful Champ._

Smiling he turned around again and followed the others, joining their chattering after a while. He was happy, and even though this had been the last time he would see the SEAT for Chrysler knew how long, he still was immensely happy.

_Besides, it can’t be that difficult to find a reason to meet again, right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh and happy new year you all (It's a day early but still)


End file.
